Department for Transport

Egypt: Terrorism

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect on the travel industry of continuing threat-level warnings in relation to travel to Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt.

Mr John Hayes: The Government’s first priority is the safety and security of British citizens. The UK Government is fully focussed on enabling a return of flights Sharm el-Sheikh as soon as possible and appreciates the co-operation of the travel industry.

Air Routes: Egypt

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects flights to recommence from the UK to Sharm-el-Sheikh.

Mr John Hayes: The Government is working closely with the Egyptian authorities with a view to a resumption of flights as soon as possible.

Air Routes: Iraq

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has for further evaluation of the possibility of establishing direct flights from the UK to Erbil International Airport in Iraqi Kurdistan; and if he will make a statement.

Mr John Hayes: The Department for Transport would welcome the commencement of direct flights to the United Kingdom from Erbil International Airport, once the security situation permits that. The current advice to UK civil aviation operators from the Department, contained in a Notice to Airmen, is that they should not overfly Iraqi territory.

British Transport Police: Staff

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many British Transport Police officers there have been in each territorial division in each of the last six years.

Paul Maynard: The two tables below show the number of British Transport Police Officers in each division in each of the last 6 years. It should be noted that British Transport Police underwent a Force-wide restructure in 2014 which changed the geographical structure from 7 divisional areas to 3.  No. of BTP Officers in each Division 201620152014A Force Headquarters436421342B Division146015361475C Division880928919D Division218215218Total299431002954  No. of BTP Officers in each Division 201320122011A Force Headquarters331353315B Division152115031537C Division800776770D Division231216214Total288328482836 A Force Headquarters = Camden Town, London B Division = East and South of England and Transport for London C Division = Pennine, Midlands, South West and Wales D Division = Scotland

London Airports: Northern Ireland

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, on which dates (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department met representatives of (i) George Best Airport and (ii) the Northern Ireland Assembly to discuss the potential effect on jobs in Northern Ireland of airport expansion in South East England.

Mr John Hayes: My Hon Friend, Robert Goodwill, Minister of State for Transport until July 2016, met with Brian Ambrose from George Best Airport on Thursday 25 February 2016 and my Rt Hon Friend, Patrick McLoughlin, Secretary of State for Transport until July 2016, met with Brian Ambrose on Friday 17 June 2016. As usual for meetings with aviation stakeholders, the meetings covered a number of issues, including airport capacity. The Airports Commission shortlisted three airport expansion schemes, two at Heathrow and one at Gatwick. The Government accepted the Commission’s shortlist in December 2015 and is considering all of the evidence very carefully before reaching a view on its preferred scheme.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing: Tolls

Kirsten  Oswald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many appeals against charges for use of the Dartford Crossing have been passed to the Traffic Penalty Tribunal in each of the last three years; and how many of those cases have subsequently been conceded by Highways England before being heard by the Tribunal.

Mr John Hayes: The figures requested are provided below PeriodNo. Crossings (in charging hours)No. PCNsNo. AppealsNo. Appeals  - Non Contest2014*3,552,34813,50900201546,658,8062,220,81623929392016**36,155,2771,898,21579473255*from Dart Charge Start date (30/11/14)**up to and including 30/09/2016

M56: Accidents

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect on the local economy of delays caused by accidents between junctions 12 and 14 of the M56 motorway.

Mr John Hayes: Highways England has not made any assessment of the effect on the local economy of delays caused by accidents between junctions 12 and 14 of the M56 motorway. Highways England have been working with the Police and local authority to ensure that contingency plans for such incidents are as robust as possible.

Driving: First Aid

Dr Alasdair McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will detail how his Department provides support for a not-for-profit training programme for drivers in administering first aid; and how many drivers this programme has trained.

Mr John Hayes: The Department has provided a grant payment of £70,000 to Driver First Assist for its 2016-17 programme. Driver First Assist is a not for profit organisation training large goods vehicle drivers to provide lifesaving first aid and manage the scene at a road traffic collision prior to the arrival of the emergency services. So far the organisation has trained 738 drivers to act as first responders.

Airports: South East

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to make an announcement on runway expansion in the South East.

Mr John Hayes: The case for aviation expansion is clear – but it’s vitally important we get the decision right so that it will benefit generations to come. As well as progressing the package of further work announced previously, the government is considering the Commission’s evidence before reaching a view on its preferred scheme this month.

A595

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will visit the A595 in Copeland.

Mr John Hayes: In my capacity as Roads Minister, I will be visiting different parts of the strategic road network around the country over ‎the coming months.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Mrs Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many car owners whose car tax has expired have not made a SORN declaration since the tax licence disc was abolished in 2015.

Andrew Jones: The Department for Transport conducts a roadside survey every two years. This survey estimates the number of vehicles without a valid licence or Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) to determine the rate of vehicle excise duty evasion. The last survey took place in June 2015, which was eight months after the DVLA stopped issuing paper tax discs. The survey estimated that 1.4% of vehicles on UK roads were unlicensed and were not subject to a SORN. The DVLA aims to make vehicle excise duty easy to pay and hard to avoid and operates a comprehensive package of measures to tackle vehicle excise duty evasion. These measures range from reminder letters, penalties and court prosecutions through to the use of Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras, wheel clamping and the removal of unlicensed vehicles.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Local Plans

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, (a) how many interventions Ministers of his Department have made to suspend or halt the adoption of local plans since 2010, (b) the grounds on which any such interventions have been made and (c) the names of the councils subject to such interventions.

Gavin Barwell: By May 2010, only 58 Local Plans had been adopted compared with 244 by October 2016. The Government wants to be satisfied that the interests of local people are protected, and as a result has exercised his powers under Section 21 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act in four cases since 2010.In March 2015 the Secretary of State directed that Policy CS13 Housing Requirement and supporting text of North Somerset Council Core Strategy be submitted to him for approval in order to review and consider the Inspector’s conclusions.In June 2015 the Secretary of State directed that Maldon District Council Local Development Plan was submitted to him for approval in order to test whether the Inspector had reached a proportionate and balanced view on the Local Plan as a whole in the light of national planning policy.In May 2016 the Secretary of State directed Birmingham City Council and in October 2016, City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council not to take any steps in connection with the adoption of their Local Plans. This was to allow time for proper consideration of the issues raised and to determine whether to intervene.

Community Relations

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the announcement by the then Prime Minister of 20 July 2015, when he expects the Cohesive Communities Programme to be launched.

Mr Marcus Jones: The previous Prime Minister’s announcement made clear the new Cohesive Communities Programme would be informed by Dame Louise Casey’s Review of Integration and Opportunity. Dame Louise’s Review will be published shortly.

Domestic Violence: Housing

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of reductions in local government budgets on the level of provision of housing for people affected by domestic violence.

Mr Marcus Jones: Domestic abuse is a devastating crime and we are committed to ensuring that no victim of domestic abuse is turned away from the support they need.Our Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, launched earlier this year, sets out our ambition to improve services for women suffering from domestic abuse, dedicating £40 million of extra funding for securing the future of refuges and other accommodation-based services. This builds on the £13.5 million provided in the last spending review period. In addition, we will be providing a package of non-financial support, including commissioning guidance and tools, and expert support to help all local areas improve local commissioning, support early intervention and develop coherent pathways of support for victims of these crimes.The Government is clear that local areas are best placed to understand local needs for services and we have devolved power and responsibility accordingly. Local areas must do the right thing and provide services that are responsive to the needs of victims of domestic abuse. Local areas should assess the need for housing for victims of domestic abuse within their local area and manage their budgets in a way that meets the need. The Government has made clear to local authorities that people who are homeless and require urgent rehousing as a result of abuse should normally be given high priority for social housing.

Families: Disadvantaged

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will consider the merits of extending the criteria of the Troubled Families programme to include families affected by alcohol and other substance addictions.

Mr Marcus Jones: We have already expanded the criteria for the new Troubled Families Programme (2015-2020) to include ‘parents or children with a range of health problems’. These health problems specifically include families where an adult with parenting responsibilities or a child has a drug or alcohol problem. This is set out in the Financial Framework which was published in March 2015:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/409682/Financial_Framework_for_the_Expanded_Troubled_Families_Programme_april_2015.pdf

Affordable Housing: EU Grants and Loans

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with housing associations and other organisations who benefit from funding from the European Investment Bank on the level of future funding that will be required to build affordable homes.

Gavin Barwell: The Secretary of State and other Ministers of the Department for Communities and Local Government have regular meetings with senior figures in the housing association sector on a range of issues.The Government is working with housing associations and others to maximise housing supply and expand access to home ownership. The Homes and Communities Agency is currently assessing the bids received through the Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme bid round and following this assessment we will be considering options to maximise affordable homes delivery. The housing association sector is in a strong financial position with £66.3 billion of private borrowing and a further £14.5 billion of undrawn borrowing facilities at the end of June 2016.

Public Lavatories: Disability

Alex Chalk: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to limit the use of accessible toilets solely for disabled people.

Gavin Barwell: The Department for Communities and Local Government has commissioned research into existing guidance in Approved Document M (Access to and use of buildings) of the Building Regulations, including on the use of accessible toilets, and that research will help to guide the way forward where any change to existing legislation is needed. Legislating to restrict use of accessible toilets raises many complex issues including in defining who would, and who would not, be entitled to use such facilities and whether this would be enforceable. Government takes the view that current arrangements are practicable without the need for further legislation and, as a result, does not intend to pursue this further at this time.

Social Networking: Bullying

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to tackle online abuse and harassment targeted at Jewish people on (a) social media networks, (b) Facebook and (c) Twitter.

Mr Marcus Jones: The Government recognises the significant harm caused to individual Jewish victims and communities by online hate material. We have a robust legislative framework which allows the operationally independent Crown Prosecution Service and Judiciary to balance the right to exercise free speech with the need to protect communities and individuals from targeted abuse.In July 2016, we published Action Against Hate: The UK Government's Plan for Tackling Hate Crime which sets out a range of non-legislative responses. This includes counter-narrative activity and collaborative work with the Internet industry to identify ways to reduce the harm caused, for example, by taking down illegal material within 24 hours.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Higher Education: UK Withdrawal From EU

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if the Government plans to remain a signatory of the Bologna Declaration after the UK leaves the EU.

Joseph Johnson: The Bologna Process, which created the European Higher Education Area in 2010, is an intergovernmental agreement among 28 countries in the European region. It is not an EU body and therefore UK membership will not be affected by the UK’s departure from the EU.

EU Emissions Trading Scheme

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent progress his Department has made in negotiations on phase IV of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

Jesse Norman: The Department remains an active participant in negotiations on Phase IV of the EU Emission Trading System (ETS) and, after publication of the high level UK position in November 2015 continues to develop a more detailed position in discussion with EU ETS participants and other interested parties. Slovakia as the current EU Presidency is keen to progress negotiations further.

Nuclear Power: Finance

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much his Department has allocated to schemes to encourage investment in nuclear energy in each of the last five years.

Jesse Norman: The Government welcomes investment in nuclear energy. Under the Electricity Market Reform (EMR) framework, Contracts for Difference (CfDs) are available to potential developers of new nuclear plant – a mechanism which offers a return on private sector investment in the sector. In September 2016 a CfD for Hinkley Point C was awarded to EDF and China General Nuclear (CGN), giving a strike price of £92.50 per megawatt hour for 35 years.

European Institute of Innovation and Technology

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to continue to participate in the European Institute of Innovation and Technology after the UK leaves the EU.

Joseph Johnson: There is no immediate effect on our participation in the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) while we remain a member of the EU. Post-exit participation in EIT will be a matter for the forthcoming negotiations. We will work through the implications for future years as part of the wider negotiations.

European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans continued participation in the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training after the UK leaves the EU.

Joseph Johnson: The UK will continue to participate in the European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training until we leave the EU. Future participation after we leave the EU is a matter for the forthcoming negotiations.

Research: Finance

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make it his policy to make available research funding at the same level as currently received after the UK leaves the EU.

Joseph Johnson: The Government is committed to maintain and enhance the strength of our research base. This is why we have protected the science resource budget in real terms from its 2015/16 level of £4.7 billion for the rest of the parliament, as well as committing to invest in new scientific infrastructure on a record scale – £6.9 billion over the period 2015-2021. The Treasury decision to underwrite the grants of competitively bid for EU research funding will give British participants and their EU partners the assurance and certainty needed to plan ahead for projects that can run over many years. We will ensure that the UK continues to be a world leader in international research and innovation.

Research: North East

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on research funding across all disciplines in universities in the North East.

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on science research funding in the North East.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 13 October 2016



The Government is committed to maintain and enhance the strength of our research base. This is why we have protected the science resource budget in real terms from its 2015/16 level of £4.7 billion for the rest of the parliament, as well as committing to invest in new scientific infrastructure on a record scale – £6.9 billion over the period 2015-2021 – including £65 million in the North East in 2014/15. The Treasury decision to underwrite the grants of competitively bid for EU research funding will give British participants and their EU partners the assurance and certainty needed to plan ahead for projects that can run over many years. We will ensure that the UK, including science and research in the North East, continues to be a world leader in international research and innovation.

Research: Finance

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what forecast his Department has made of the change in international and EU investment in UK-based science research in the next five years.

Joseph Johnson: The Government is determined to ensure that the UK continues to play a leading role in European and international science, research and innovation. The strengths of UK science and research draw in significant international and EU funding as evidenced by the £5.4 billion of overseas investment in UK research and development in 2014. The Government’s commitment to supporting international collaborations is demonstrated by the introduction of the Global Challenges Research Fund which will provide £1.5 billion over the next five years to support research on global issues affecting developing countries. Our international partnerships are also supported by the Newton Fund linking UK researchers with researchers in 16 partner countries. The Government is committed to ensuring that UK remains open for business and continues to grow and thrive.

Coal

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the speech of the then Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on 18 November 2015, at the Institution of Civil Engineers, on a new direction for UK energy policy, when he plans to publish the terms of reference for the consultation on coal use; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: Most of the UK’s existing coal fired power stations are old, relatively inefficient and require investment to reduce the level of damaging pollutants they emit. I expect to consult shortly on additional measures to close unabated coal stations by 2025.

European Patent Office

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether it is the Government's policy to negotiate to continue participation in the European Patent Office after the UK leaves the EU.

Joseph Johnson: The UK’s participation in the European Patent Office will be unaffected by leaving the European Union. The European Patent Office and the European Patent Organisation are established by an international treaty, the European Patent Convention, to which the UK is a contracting party. The European Patent Convention is not restricted to EU countries and it currently comprises 38 Contracting Member States.

Dementia: Research

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on funding for dementia research.

Joseph Johnson: The Government is committed to maintain and enhance the strength of our research base. This is why we have protected the science resource budget in real terms from its 2015/16 level of £4.7 billion for the rest of the parliament, as well as committing to invest in new scientific infrastructure on a record scale – £6.9 billion over the period 2015-2021, including £150 million for the Dementia Research Institute. The Treasury decision to underwrite the grants of competitively bid for EU research funding will give British participants and their EU partners the assurance and certainty needed to plan ahead for projects that can run over many years. We are committed to ensure that the UK continues to be a world leader in international science, including research on dementia.

Arts: Royalties

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to repeal the EU directive on the artist's resale right after the UK leaves the EU.

Joseph Johnson: The Government has no current plans to repeal the Artist’s Resale Right Regulations 2006, but keeps the matter under review.

Mineworkers' Pension Scheme

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many (a) former miners and (b) widows of former miners are in receipt of the mineworker's pension in (i) the UK, (ii) the East Midlands and (iii) Ashfield constituency.

Jesse Norman: Holding answer received on 18 October 2016



The scheme is not administered by the Government, but by the Scheme Trustees. The Department does not, therefore, hold this information.

Mineworkers' Pension Scheme

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the oral Answer of 13 September 2016, Official Report, column 764, when he plans to meet the hon. Member for Ashfield to discuss the mineworker's pension scheme.

Jesse Norman: Holding answer received on 18 October 2016



The hon. Member has been offered a meeting with my rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State. We hope she is able to attend.

Mineworkers' Pension Scheme

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much the Government has received from the mineworker's pension scheme since 1994.

Jesse Norman: Holding answer received on 18 October 2016



Primarily as a result of strong investment returns, the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme has generated surpluses which have been shared equally between Government and the scheme members as bonuses, in accordance with the agreement reached in 1994. In its role as Guarantor, the Government has received £3,356.3m by this means since 1994.

Nissan

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with Nissan on its future investment in the UK after the UK's exit of the EU.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Department is in close contact with Nissan as part of its responsibility to actively manage the relationship with our major manufacturers.

Innovation: Finance

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what checks his Department and its agencies undertake to ensure public funding for new innovation facilities does not result in a duplication of existing commercial assets.

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the presence and scope of existing commercial assets when considering new public funding for research and development and innovation.

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the risk and potential effect of new government-funded assets on commercial innovation activity in existing commercial innovation facilities.

Joseph Johnson: All potential major capital projects are assessed against the additional value they add, including an evaluation of whether the research or innovation activity is already being undertaken elsewhere. The majority of decisions about which research investments to undertake are taken directly by Research Councils, based on rigorous criteria including peer review. In respect of the establishment of Innovate UK’s 11 Catapult Centres, all candidate areas have undergone a robust evaluation by Innovate UK’s Senior Innovation Leads who have relevant domain expertise. In addition, facilitated workshops, with leading figures in the relevant industries - including business, academic and representatives from the public sector, are held to ascertain whether Innovate UK’s analysis of the market opportunities in this area is correct. Each candidate area is evaluated according to an agreed process to assess the size of the global market opportunity and the demand for a Catapult to help business build on their capabilities to commercialise innovation and realise this potential in the UK. In setting up new Catapult centres Innovate UK take into account the option of working within or alongside existing physical centres in the UK either to avoid duplication or to achieve quicker delivery. At a local level, Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) are responsible for identifying, assessing and approving Local Growth Funded projects. They do this in accordance with their strategic economic objectives and Local Assurance Frameworks which have to comply with the LEP National Assurance Framework. The National Assurance Framework covers value for money and states that methodology should be proportionate to the funding allocated and in line with established Government guidance including the HM Treasury Green Book.

Developing Countries: Weather

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with the Department for International Development on the UK's commitment to weather-indexed insurance.

Jesse Norman: My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has not had any discussions with my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development on weather-indexed insurance in the last six months.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Iraq: Military Intervention

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department took to protect (a) all civilians and (b) children in Mosul before the coalition forces' attack on that city began.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: ​The UK has made clear to the Government of Iraq in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional Government the importance the UK attaches to protecting civilians, including children, in the offensive to liberate Mosul from Daesh. I last highlighted this to Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari and Kurdistan Region Minister of Foreign Relations Falah Mustafa during a meeting in London on 12 October.We have received assurances from Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and Kurdistan Region President Masoud Barzani that all allegations of human rights abuses and violations will be investigated and those responsible held to account.In addition, the UK has announced an extra £40 million of humanitarian funding to Iraq on 21 September, taking our total commitment to £90 million this financial year and £169.5 million since June 2014. This new assistance will be targeted specifically to enable a scale up of humanitarian assistance during the Mosul operation, helping to support efforts to protect civilians, including children.

Sri Lanka: Tamils

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations his Department has made to the government of Sri Lanka on the persecution of Tamil people in that country; and if he will call for an international investigation into that persecution.

Alok Sharma: ​The Sri Lankan government has taken a number of positive steps to improve the human rights situation in that country, but we recognise that there remains much to be done. In our statement to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in June we set out the areas we felt were important for Sri Lanka to focus on. These included further land returns in the north of the island, the repealing of the Prevention of Terrorism Act, the devolution of political authority through constitutional reform and the creation of credible justice mechanisms. I most recently raised Tamil issues with Sri Lanka's Foreign Minister in September. We will continue to work with the UN, Sri Lanka and our other international partners to ensure full implementation of UNHRC resolution 30/1, co-sponsored by the UK in October 2015, while recognising the scale of the challenge this represents and allowing time for credible, well thought out transitional justice mechanisms to be developed and implemented.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his recent assessment is of the (a) security situation and (b) state of human rights in Rojava region of Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The security situation in Syria remains extremely volatile and dangerous. There is widespread fighting throughout Syria. Full scale military operations involving the use of small arms, tanks, artillery and aircraft are ongoing. We advise against all travel to Syria, without geographic exception.The UK Government does not recognise the self-declared Rojava region in Syria. We continue to have concerns about the human rights situation in areas under the control of the PYD and its allies. Human Rights Watch and others have reported the abduction and arbitrary arrest of political opponents. Amnesty International has also highlighted reports of arbitrary detentions and unfair trials of those deemed to support Daesh without credible evidence, and the demolition of civilian homes and forced displacement of civilians. We continue to press the PYD to address these concerns; and for the PYD and all other actors to adopt a pluralistic approach, inclusive of all ethnic groups, and to abide by international human rights standards.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Higher Education: EU Nationals

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 13 October 2016 to Question 47818, what the Government's policy is on changes to the rights of UK universities and their students and staff from other EU countries.

Mr Robin Walker: We want to continue to attract the brightest and the best to the UK after exit. UK researchers can still apply for Horizon 2020 projects, with the certainty that any funding will be guaranteed by the UK Government for the cycle of the programme. The government has recently announced that EU students applying for a place at an English university or further education institution in the 2017 to 2018 academic year will continue to be eligible for student loans and grants – and will be for the duration of their course. The Prime Minister has been clear that during negotiations she wants to protect the status of EU nationals already living here, and the only circumstances in which that would not be possible is if British citizens’ rights in European member states were not protected in return.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Visits Abroad

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what overseas visits he has made since his appointment.

Mr David Jones: The Prime Minister has been clear we will not give a running commentary on our EU exit negotiations. We will ensure that we engage closely with all relevant interlocutors.

Immigration: Scotland

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent discussions he has had with stakeholders in the UK on devolution of control over immigration to the Scottish Parliament once the UK leave the EU.

Mr David Jones: Legislation resulting from the UK’s exit must work for the whole of the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister has already held initial conversations with the leaders of the devolved Governments about our plans, and she will make sure that the devolved Administrations have every opportunity to work closely with us.

Immigration: Scotland

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, if he will devolve control over immigration to the Scottish Government as part of his negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.

Mr David Jones: Immigration is a reserved matter. However, we are working closely with the Scottish Government and we will get the best possible deal for all parts of the United Kingdom as we leave the EU. We will give the Scottish Government every opportunity to have their say as we develop the negotiating strategy.

Attorney General

Attorney General: EU Law

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Attorney General, which agreed EU directives have not yet been transposed directly into UK law; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: Until exit negotiations are concluded, the UK remains a full member of the European Union and all the rights and obligations of EU membership remain in force. During this period the Government will continue to negotiate, implement and apply EU legislation.The Attorney General’s Office does not have departmental responsibility for the transposition of directives.

Department for International Development

Turkey: Overseas Aid

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that UK aid for Turkey to help address the effects of the conflict in Syria is being used for its intended purposes.

Rory Stewart: The UK has committed more than €300 million to the €3 billion Facility for Refugees in Turkey to assist Turkey in hosting refugees. The Facility delivers humanitarian and development assistance through existing EU instruments to meet the objectives articulated in the EU Turkey Joint Action Plan of October 2015. The UK is a member of the Facility Steering Committee. Funds will be monitored through existing governance and fiduciary controls.DFID’s response to the immediate humanitarian crisis in Europe has been a crucial element of HMG’s overall migration strategy. The UK will continue to work alongside international partners to tackle the migration crisis, including through programmes such as the EU-Turkey Facility.

Israel: Palestinians

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of projects that foster co-operation and co-existence have had on the prospects of securing lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Rory Stewart: Projects that foster cooperation and coexistence can help to build understanding between Israelis and Palestinians, and maintain a constituency of support for peace. The Secretary of State is currently assessing options for providing further support to coexistence programmes.

Israel: Palestinians

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to support projects that foster co-operation and co-existence between Israelis and Palestinians.

Rory Stewart: The UK is supportive of coexistence (people-to-people) programmes which bring together Palestinians and Israelis and foster inter-community understanding. The Secretary of State is currently assessing options for providing further support to coexistence programmes.

Department for International Development: Visits Abroad

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what overseas visits she has made since her appointment.

Priti Patel: The Secretary of State has visited a range of countries overseas since her appointment. Information on Ministerial Travel is published as part of DFID’s quarterly transparency return on www.gov.uk.

St Helena: Airports

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the composition and remit is of the review she has established to advise her on the future of St Helena airport.

Rory Stewart: The independent Panel is currently being established, a process which will consider its proposed composition and its remit.

Refugees: Finance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what changes are being made to funding streams in her Department's budget to help assist refugees close to or in their countries of origin.

Rory Stewart: The UK is at the forefront of international efforts to assist refugees close to their countries of origin. The UK has increased its response to the Syria crisis to £2.3 billion and our support is reaching hundreds of thousands of people in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. The UK is pioneering a new model of support to refugees through international Compacts with refugee-hosting countries to provide long-term education and employment opportunities to refugees, while supporting the economic development of the host nation. Refugee-hosting compacts have been agreed so far with Jordan, Lebanon and Ethiopia.As part of our new approach we have contributed £80m to the World Bank MENA Concessional Finance Facility to support refugees in Jordan and Lebanon and have pledged £30m to the new Education Cannot Wait fund to support education in crises, including refugees.

RMS St Helena

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate her Department has made of the public expenditure that is required to extend the life of RMS St Helena.

Rory Stewart: Through its commitment of Financial Aid to the Government of St Helena, DFID subsidises the costs of the service provided by the RMS St Helena. The subsidy is the difference between the actual costs of operating the service and the actual revenue generated. So it is not possible to calculate the subsidy in advance and without knowing, for example the levels of occupancy on each service and operating costs. For the period between April and July 2016 the RMS service returned a profit of £220,000 so no subsidy was required. The cost of subsidising the operations of the RMS St Helena in FY 2015/16 was £620,000.

St Helena: Aviation

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions her officials have had with the St Helena government on an interim air service solution.

Rory Stewart: Discussions are ongoing between my officials and the St Helena Government on the prospects for an interim air service using the southern approach to the runway, where the prevailing winds require aircraft to land with a tailwind. All aircraft have performance limits for the maximum tailwind in which they can operate; technical work is underway to assess the frequencies tailwind speeds at the airport exceed these performance limits.

St Helena: Emigration

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate the Government has made of the number of St Helena expats who are currently residing in the UK.

Rory Stewart: We understand from the latest (2011) census data provided by the Office of National Statistics, that the number of people in England and Wales, who registered as being born in St Helena, was 2,645. In Scotland the number is 59. In Northern Ireland it is 11. These numbers do not include the children of St Helenian parents

St Helena: Airports

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she had with the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on the future of St Helena airport.

Rory Stewart: DFID officials, acting on behalf of the Secretary of State and DFID Ministers, are in regular contact with FCO officials about the future of St Helena Airport.

St Helena: Airports

Mr Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she had with the Governor of St Helena on the future of St Helena airport.

Rory Stewart: DFID is in regular contact with the Governor of St Helena about the future of St Helena Airport.

Palestinians: Overseas Aid

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she has suspended, or plans to suspend, funding to the Palestinian territories.

Rory Stewart: The Secretary of State is conducting a full examination of DFID’s programme in the Occupied Palestinian Territories to ensure that UK taxpayer’s money is spent in the right places and in the right way.

Climate Change Convention: Morocco

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans her Department has made to publicise Government support for the (a) African Risk Capacity, (b) Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility and (c) Pacific Catastrophe Risk Assessment and Financing Initiative at the Marrakesh Climate Conference, to be held in November 2016.

Rory Stewart: The UK’s support to African Risk Capacity (ARC), the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) and the Pacific Catastrophe Risk Assessment and Financing Initiative (PCRAFI) is managed by the Department for International Development (DFID).In December 2015, every G7 nation set out how they will meet a collective target to reach an additional 400 million people with risk insurance by 2020. The UK has led the way, making excellent progress in delivering on its pledges of support for Climate Risk Insurance in the past year including funding for ARC and PCRAFI. UK Ministers have been invited to participate in side events at the Marrakesh Conference of Parties (COP) meeting to highlight progress with the G7’s InsuResilience climate risk insurance initiative and on ARC.Currently, just 5% of losses from natural disasters in low-income countries are covered by insurance (against around 40% in developed countries), leaving millions with nothing to rebuild their lives after disaster strikes. UK initiatives give countries and people the tools they need to get themselves back on their feet, which is firmly in our national interest.

Climate Change Convention: Morocco

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proposals the Government plans to put forward at the Marrakesh Climate Change Conference in November 2016 to try to protect people who are most vulnerable to loss and damage caused by climate change.

James Wharton: Protecting those who are vulnerable to loss and damage due to climate change includes responding to disasters, helping people adapt to climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to keep global warming to manageable levels.The UK Government has committed to increase the UK’s climate finance by at least 50%, and will provide £5.8 billion over the next 5 years, of which half will be focused on helping people adapt to climate change including the most vulnerable. We have also committed to contributing to the G7 InsuResilience target of an additional 400 million people gaining access to insurance by 2020. The UK is actively engaged on these issues within the United Nations, including through its seat on the Executive Committee that is responsible for guiding action on loss and damage.

Climate Change Convention: Morocco

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the Government's support for climate risk insurance as part of her preparations for the COP22 UN Climate Change Summit in Marrakesh, to be held in November 2016.

Rory Stewart: The UK is proud to be a global leader in disaster risk finance and insurance and we are committed to contributing to meeting the G7’s InsuResilience collective target (set out in the 2015 G7 Leaders Elmau declaration) of helping up to an additional 400 million people in the most vulnerable developing countries to gain access to climate risk insurance by 2020. The Department for International Development (DFID) leads the delivery of the Government’s plans to scale up the use of insurance and risk finance instruments in developing countries to enable:Increased resilience for millions of the most vulnerable people, through improved access to insurance cover,Faster, more efficient emergency response, with a larger proportion of losses in vulnerable developing countries to be covered by insurance systems, taking the strain off the overstretched humanitarian system,Stronger and more stable economic development in developing countries, by helping to reduce the costs and barriers to credit.

Department for Education

Higher Education: Derby

Amanda Solloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many school leavers in Derby North constituency who went to university in the last five years for which figures are available were (a) entitled and (b) not entitled to free school meals.

Joseph Johnson: Information is given on the number and percentage of students completing Key Stage 5 study (A level and other Level 3 qualifications) in mainstream state-funded schools and colleges, before progressing to study at a UK higher education institution for at least two terms the following year, in each of the last five years for which information is available. Free school meal eligibility is as recorded when students were in Year 11.The table below show figures for the Derby North constituency for the years 2010/11 to 2014/15. Numbers of pupils are shown rounded to the nearest ten in line with how published information was shown in these years. Percentages are calculated using unrounded figures.In each of the last five years ten students in the Derby North constituency (rounded to the nearest ten), who had been eligible for free school meals in Year 11 and completed Key Stage 5 study, progressed to higher education. This compares to between 190 and 220 students who had not been eligible for free school meals completing Key Stage 5 study in the latest year. Due to the small numbers involved, the proportion of students represented by these numbers has varied year on year.Information on pupil destinations at local authority, regional and national level is published annually at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-destinations  Number of students completing KS5Number at UK Higher Education Institution% at UK Higher Education Institution (calculated on unrounded figures)(rounded to nearest 10)(rounded to nearest 10)FSMNon-FSMFSMNon-FSMFSMNon-FSM2014/15 (2013/14 KS5 cohort)203201021064%65%2013/14 (2012/13 KS5 cohort)203101019043%61%2012/13 (2011/12 KS5 cohort)303101020032%63%2011/12 (2010/11 KS5 cohort)203001019050%64%2010/11 (2009/10 KS5 cohort)203301022055%66%

Teachers: Recruitment

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to recruit more trainee teachers for secondary school subjects for which recruitment targets have been missed.

Nick Gibb: The latest published figures from UCAS show that teaching remains a hugely popular profession. Over 27,000 people have been recruited to postgraduate teacher training courses in England in 2016/17. To support recruitment in 2017/18, we have announced a new package of financial incentives – including increases to bursaries and scholarships to attract top graduates in priority subjects. We have expanded the scholarship scheme, introducing two new scholarships in languages and geography, in partnership with the British Council and the Royal Geographical Society. Our 2017/18 teacher recruitment marketing campaign commenced on 4 October and features a new television advert, alongside print, online and social media advertising. Forty Train to Teach recruitment events will take place across the country and further activity will take place on university campuses, including over thirty graduate fairs where our advisors will meet with students, setting out the benefits of a career in teaching. In addition, we are spending up to £67 million on a programme of measures to upskill the existing maths and physics teaching workforce, and increase the number of new mathematics and physics specialists entering teaching. This package aims to recruit up to 2,500 new teachers and upskill up to 15,000 existing teachers over the term of this parliament. We have increased bursary rates in the subjects that leading universities say are most commonly required at A level for entry onto their degree courses.

Teachers: Labour Turnover

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the retention figures are for (a) primary and (b) secondary school teachers who began their employment in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: Retention rates for all teachers by phase are not available. Published statistics are available that show the retention rates for newly qualified teachers (not split by phase). The latest information is contained in the following table. It shows around 90% of teachers continue in the profession following their first year of teaching (and this has been the case since 1996). Of the teachers who started teaching in 2010, 70% were still teaching five years later.Percentage of teachers in regular service in the state-funded schools sector in England after: [1]Year qualified[2]Recorded In service by[3]Number of newly qualified entrants entering service[4]1 year2 years3 years4 years5 years2010November 201024,10087%82%77%73%70%2011November 201120,60088%83%77%73% 2012November 201223,00088%81%75%  2013November 201323,60087%80%   2014November 201424,20087%2015November 201525,500 The statistics are shown in table 8 and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2015.[1] The percentage of teachers in service in anyone year will include those who may not have had continuous service to that year. For example, teachers could be in service for 3 consecutive years, miss a year, and then be in service in year 5 onwards after qualifying.[2] Calendar year in which the teachers qualified.[3] Financial year during which the teachers entered service[4] Newly qualified entrants in year x are defined as all teachers who qualified between November x-1 and November x and were in service in school year x/x+1.

Higher Education: Disadvantaged

Mr Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of children who receive free school meals in (a) Woking constituency, (b) Surrey, (c) the South East and (d) the UK have participated in higher education in each year since 2010.

Joseph Johnson: Information is given on the number and percentage of students completing Key Stage 5 study (A level and other Level 3 qualifications) in mainstream state-funded schools and colleges, before progressing to study at a UK higher education institution for at least two terms the following year, in each of the last five years for which information is available. Free school meal eligibility is as recorded when students were in Year 11.The table below show figures for the Woking constituency for the years 2010/11 to 2014/15. Numbers of pupils are shown rounded to the nearest ten, in line with how published information was shown in these years. Percentages are calculated using unrounded figures.In each of the last five years, ten students in the Woking constituency (rounded to the nearest ten), who had been eligible for free school meals in Year 11 and completed Key Stage 5 study, progressed to higher education. This compares to between 180 and 250 students who had not been eligible for free school meals. In 2014/15, this represents 34% of free school meals students and 50% of other students who had completed Key Stage 5 study. Due to the small numbers of students involved, these proportions have varied year on year.Comparable information on pupil destinations for b) Surrey, c) the South East and d) England is published annually at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-destinations   Woking constituencyNumber of students completing KS5Number at UK Higher Education Institution% at UK Higher Education Institution (calculated on unrounded figures)(rounded to nearest 10)(rounded to nearest 10)FSMNon-FSMFSMNon-FSMFSMNon-FSM2014/15 (2013/14 KS5 cohort)305101025034%50%2013/14 (2012/13 KS5 cohort)203701018032%49%2012/13 (2011/12 KS5 cohort)304501020031%45%2011/12 (2010/11 KS5 cohort)204501023061%52%2010/11 (2009/10 KS5 cohort)304901022041%45%

Schools: Staff

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department has taken to manage the levels of stress experienced by school support staff.

Nick Gibb: When well deployed and supported, teaching assistants can make a valuable contribution to the education of our children. They are entitled to a suitable work-life balance and it is regrettable if they are experiencing excessive stress in their work. Responsibility for managing teaching assistants and other support staff rests at local level. Head teachers best understand the needs of their schools and the support staff who work within them. The Education Endowment Foundation’s (EEF) guidance report; “Making Best Use Of Teaching Assistants”, offers the latest evidence and makes a number of recommendations to help schools make best use of their teaching assistants. The EEF report is available at: https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/uploads/pdf/TA_Guidance_Report_Interactive.pdf.

Teachers: Training

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how her Department plans to award teacher training contracts to universities; and what the selection criteria will be for such contracts.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not award teacher training contracts. In order to deliver Initial Teacher Training (ITT), providers must be accredited by the National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL). The NCTL considers the accreditation of new ITT providers on a case-by-case basis. Applications from potential new providers (PNPs) must follow a specified format, available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/arrangements-for-itt-accreditation-submissions. To be eligible for accreditation, a PNP must have been rated at least “Good” by Ofsted. Further information on the requirements for ITT providers can be found in the statutory ‘ITT criteria’ document, available at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-criteria. The Teacher Supply Model calculates the estimated number of trainees required across England by subject each year and providers are invited to request training places. The NCTL then allocates teacher training places to accredited providers and School Direct lead schools. This year, the number of places requested again significantly exceeded the number of trainees required. We review the methodology for allocating teacher training places each year. This year, a combination of requests and historic recruitment performance were used to allocate places. Multi-year allocations have been awarded to the top-performing providers on the basis of assessment against key performance indicators. Full details of the 2017/18 allocations methodology can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/556735/The_allocation_of_initial_teacher_training_places_2017-18.pdf.

Universities

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on UK universities' ability to attract high-quality students and researchers from across Europe.

Joseph Johnson: The UK has a long-established system that supports, and therefore attracts, the brightest minds, at all stages of their careers. We fund excellent research wherever it is found and ensure there is the freedom to tackle important scientific questions. HM Treasury’s announcement on underwriting EU research funding awarded while we remain EU members, even when specific projects continue beyond the UK’s departure from the EU, underlines our commitment to maintain the UK as an attractive place to conduct research and innovation. The Government has also announced that EU students applying for a place at an English university or further education institution in the 2017/2018 academic year will continue to be eligible for student loans and grants, and will be for the duration of their course.

Students: Loans

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the value is of outstanding student loan debts owed by graduates who have moved overseas since 2006.

Joseph Johnson: The information requested is not available without disproportionate cost. Data provided by the Student Loans Company (SLC) shows that the 113,600 English student loan borrowers who were known to be overseas at the beginning of the financial year 2016-17 had a total loan balance of £1.6 billion. Statistics covering English student loan borrowers are published annually by the SLC in the Statistical First Release (SFR) ‘Student Loans in England’.http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/student-loans-debt-and-repayment/england.aspx Information on the repayment status of English student loan borrowers who have become liable to repay (by repayment cohort) can be found in table 3A of the SFR.

Teachers: Nationality

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of teachers in English schools are (a) British nationals and (b) non-British EU nationals.

Nick Gibb: Information on the nationality of teachers is not centrally collected.

Equality: Impact Assessments

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what formal guidance the Government has issued to departments on equality impact assessments.

Caroline Dinenage: The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) in the Equality Act 2010 ensures that public bodies take account of equality and consider the potential impact of decisions on groups with protected characteristics. All bodies exercising public functions are subject to the PSED and need to understand the impact of their policies and services on people with different protected characteristics, and be able to provide evidence that this has been taken into account during the decision-making process. However, the legislation does not prescribe how this information needs to be recorded and it is not a statutory requirement in England to prepare or publish information in a particular form, such as an Equality Impact Assessment. The Government Equalities Office has published a quick-start guide on the PSED and has circulated PSED guidance across Whitehall. It also provides advice to other departments on their legal obligations by delivering workshops and presentations to staff. A range of guidance on the PSED is also available from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

Government Departments: Impact Assessments

Dawn Butler: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many equality impact assessments government departments carried out in each year between 2010 and 2016.

Caroline Dinenage: The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) in the Equality Act 2010 ensures that public bodies take account of equality and consider the potential impact of decisions on groups with protected characteristics. All bodies exercising public functions who are subject to the PSED need to understand the impact of their policies and services on people with different protected characteristics and be able to provide evidence that this has been taken into account during the decision-making process. However, the legislation does not prescribe how this information needs to be recorded and it is not a statutory requirement in England to prepare or publish information in a particular form, such as an Equality Impact Assessment. The Government Equalities Office does not therefore keep records of how many equality impact assessments are carried out by Departments; in any case, this information would not give an indication of the extent to which equality issues have been considered under the PSED.

Overseas Students

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the financial contribution made by international students to UK universities in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: Information on the finances of UK higher education institutions (HEIs) is collected and published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). The table below summarises the total income from the tuition fees of non-EU domiciled to UK HEIs in the last three academic years. HESA finance data does not distinguish between UK and EU students, therefore data on EU fee income is not available. UK Higher Education InstitutionsTotal HEI income from Non-EU Course FeesAcademic Year 2012/13 – 2014/15 Academic YearTotal HEI income from Non-EU Tuition Fees2012/13£3.5bn2013/14£3.9bn2014/15£4.2bn

Overseas Students

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the effect on university finances of linking Teaching Excellence Framework outcomes to the enrolment of international students; and if she will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: The Government recently set out its response to the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Year 2 Technical Consultation and the operational specification for TEF Year 2.Overall, we expect the TEF to enhance the international reputation of UK higher education by encouraging all universities to maintain and improve their teaching standards. By showcasing the excellence of UK higher education, the TEF will support the sector by attracting international students in a globally competitive market. We anticipate that the outcomes of the TEF assessment process will inform student choices, including international student choices. However, no direct link (and therefore no estimate) has been made between TEF outcomes and international student enrolment.

Overseas Students

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the benefits of international students at UK universities to the wider UK economy in the last five years; and if she will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: The Government’s International Education Strategy, published in July 2013, included an analysis of the value of international education to the UK. This analysis showed that EU and non-EU students at UK universities contributed £9.7bn in 2011 to the UK economy (tuition fees and living expenditure). International students also bring indirect economic benefits to the UK, including: strengthening the quality, diversity and reputation of the UK education sector; providing a pipeline of global talent that supports world class research and collaboration; and improving overseas trade, social and cultural links.

Ministry of Justice

Prisoners' Release: Greater London

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what support her Department provides to people who leave prison in London without having somewhere to live.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate her Department has made of the number of ex-offenders who (a) left prison with no fixed address and (b) became homeless after leaving prison in the latest period for which figures are available.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Local Authorities are statutorily responsible for working with and supporting an individual in order to assist them into securing settled accommodation. However, as part of our probation reforms, all offenders get targeted support when they leave prison to help them reintegrate into society. This includes working with local partners to help them find accommodation. Up until 2014/15 prisons were responsible for collecting information on accommodation outcomes for prisoners on release. The figures are based on prisoners self-reporting. Figures for the percentage of prisoners released into settled accommodation for the financial years 2010-11 to 2014-15 are published on gov.uk. From 1 May 2015 Community Rehabilitation Companies became responsible for helping offenders obtain suitable accommodation as part of their Through the Gate resettlement services. Information on what proportion of prisoners left prisons with settled accommodation for the financial year 2015-2016 and monthly information since April 2016 is not available centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Assaults on Police

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been (a) charged and (b) prosecuted under section (i) 89(1) and (ii) 89(2) of the Police Act 1996 in each year since 2010.

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what average length of sentence has been given to people prosecuted under section (a) 89(1) and (b) 89(2) of the Police Act 1996 in each year since 2010.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts and offenders found guilty and sentenced at all courts, including those specifically sentenced to immediate custody, with average custodial sentence length, of offences under Section 89(1)&(2) of the Police Act 1996, in England and Wales, from 2010 to 2015, can be viewed in the table. Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty and sentenced at all courts for offences under Section 89 (1) (2) Police Act 1996 , England and Wales, 2010 to 2015 (1)(2)(3)OffenceOutcome201020112012201320142015Assault a constableProceeded against10,35111,09910,2019,4328,9309,055Found guilty8,6959,4248,5927,8407,4867,629Average custodial sentence length for those offenders sentenced to immediate custody (3)2.52.42.42.32.22.2Resist / obstruct a constable   Proceeded against6,8946,3955,2604,8234,7484,294Found guilty5,4865,0544,1163,7723,7153,424Average custodial sentence length for those offenders sentenced to immediate custody (3)0.70.70.70.80.70.7Assault / resist a person assisting a constable   Proceeded against1028399808693Found guilty766267596567Average custodial sentence length for those offenders sentenced to immediate custody (3)2.62.1***1.8* = Figure suppressed as number too small to give meaningful average.  (1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.(3) Average custodial sentence length is displayed in months, and excludes life and indeterminate sentences. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.  Ref: PQ 48336-48337

Victims: EU Law

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether it is her policy to retain the measures in the EU Directive on the rights of victims of crime in UK law after the UK leaves the EU.

Dr Phillip Lee: The revised Code of Practice for Victims of Crime (the Code) which came into force on 16 November 2015 was used to complete the transposition of the EU Victims’ Directive 2012/29/EU into domestic law and there are currently no plans to amend the Code.

Sentencing

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether her Department plans to undertake a full review of sentencing guidelines.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Sentencing Guidelines are issued by the Sentencing Council for England and Wales, a body independent of Government.

Prisoners' Release: Housing

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisons are facilitating the Government's Through the Gate provision for offenders serving 12 months or less.

Mr Sam Gyimah: As a result of the reforms to probation services, for the first time, adult offenders serving under 12 months in custody can access the Through the Gate resettlement service in prison and into the community. To support this unprecedented resettlement service we established a network of 89 Resettlement Prisons to facilitate the transition from custody into the community to enable the Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) to work with those prisoners returning to their local area. The contracts with CRCs also provide for such services even where a prisoner has not been transferred to a designated resettlement prison prior to release.

Road Traffic Offences

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment she has made of the efficacy of her Department's communication with the public regarding minor penalty offences.

Sir Oliver Heald: Less serious criminal offences may be prosecuted in the courts or in certain cases dealt with by the police or relevant local prosecuting authorities through means of out of court disposals such as fixed penalty notices. The Ministry is currently consulting on proposals to support of more modern, efficient justice system with improved experiences for users. The consultation is available on gov.uk.

Prime Minister

Social Networking

Anna Turley: To ask the Prime Minister, how many meetings she has had with social media companies to discuss harmful online content since May 2015.

Mrs Theresa May: Details of Ministers’ meetings with external organisations, including with newspaper and other media proprietors, editors and senior executives, are published on a quarterly basis and made available on the gov.uk website.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Social Networking

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many meetings Ministers of her Department have had with social media companies to discuss harmful online content since May 2015.

Matt Hancock: Department for Culture, Media and Sport Ministers regularly meet a wide range of stakeholders, including social media companies, to discuss a number of issues including those affecting children and young people on the internet. Details of Ministerial meetings with external stakeholders are available via the Department’s transparency returns, which can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/search?q=DCMS+ministerial+meetings.

BBC: Video on Demand

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the BBC Trust and Ofcom on the implications for users of the BBC requiring registration and identification to use iPlayer.

Matt Hancock: The case for requiring user verification for the iPlayer was discussed during the Charter Review process and the White Paper, published in May, made clear that the Government thinks there is a case for iPlayer to require verification both to improve enforcement and allow BBC content to be 'portable' for UK licence fee payers. However, it will ultimately be up to the BBC to decide if and how they wish to implement this.

BBC: Video on Demand

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what representations she has received on the decision of the BBC to require registration for using iPlayer from 2017.

Matt Hancock: We have received no representations about this matter.

Department for Work and Pensions

Mining: Industrial Health and Safety

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2016 to Question 44365, whether the Health and Safety Executive holds any data on changes to work patterns in the mining industry in each of the last five years.

Penny Mordaunt: The Health and Safety Executive do not hold any statistical data on changes to work patterns in the mining industry in the last five years.

Attendance Allowance: Terminal Illnesses

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 8 September 2016 to Question 44899, if he will make readily available the number of people who applied for attendance allowance under the special rules for people with terminal illness in each of the last five years (a) before and (b) during the consultation on the devolution of attendance allowance.

Penny Mordaunt: The consultation “Self-sufficient local government: 100% business rates retention” published by the Department for Communities and Local Government sought views on a range of options for devolving new responsibilities to local government including more responsibility for caring for older people.The feedback from that consultation which closed on 26 September is currently being analysed and a response will be published in due course. The Government would undertake a further consultation, including any required impact assessment if any changes were to be proposed in relation to Attendance Allowance.Information on claims awarded under the special rules for people with terminal illness is available from the DWP Tabulation Tool: http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/100pc/tabtool.html.

Occupational Pensions

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have opted out of workplace pensions in each month since the inception of that scheme.

Richard Harrington: Since automatic enrolment began rolling out in 2012, DWP has collected data on the proportion of automatically enrolled employees opting out of schemes via its Employers’ Pension Provision (EPP) survey, which is run every two years. In 2013, the EPP survey found that the proportion of employees who had opted out of, or left, a scheme after being automatically enrolled was between nine and ten per cent. The 2015 EPP survey findings were similar, with nine per cent of automatically enrolled workers having chosen to opt out.

Children: Maintenance

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many officials employed by the Child Maintenance Service are responsible for (a) identifying and (b) supporting victims of (i) domestic and (ii) financial abuse.

Caroline Nokes: During the Child Maintenance Service application process, clients can identify to us that they were subject to domestic violence, and during the process of establishing payment mechanisms we can help with discussing accounts that have no traceable characteristics. These functions are carried out in Applications and New Case teams. However, all caseworkers across both the Child Maintenance Service and Child Support Agency are trained to be sensitive and to take appropriate action, such as signposting to relevant support organisations. As at 30 September 2016, there were over 6500 dedicated caseworkers working across all child maintenance schemes, which excludes team leaders and all managers who would also be able to undertake similar signposting as required.

Personal Independence Payment

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to his Department's document, Personal Independence Payment: Detailed medical condition, July 2016 caseload, if he will provide the same subcategories of data broken down by the size of the award in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Penny Mordaunt: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Personal Independence Payment: Yorkshire and the Humber

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will provide an update on the roll-out of personal independence payment re-assessments for the HU postcode area.

Penny Mordaunt: We started full roll out of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) in a controlled way, to test and learn in specific postcode areas in July 2015 and this was followed in August and September with additional postcodes and increased volumes. We extended this across all postcodes from October 2015, selecting Disability Living Allowance claimants at random, learning as we go.Regional breakdowns for claims and clearances are available at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.ukGuidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html.

Duro Dakovic TEP

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations he has received on Duro Dakovic TEP and its treatment of its employees.

Damian Hinds: DWP has received no representations on Duro Dakovic TEP and its treatment of its employees.

Migrant Workers: Pay

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what representations he has received on migrant employees in the UK being forced to repay funds paid to them as a result of shortfalls in wages to their employers upon return to their country of origin; and if he will make a statement.

Damian Hinds: DWP has received no representations on migrant employees in the UK being forced to repay funds paid to them as a result of shortfalls in wages to their employers upon return to their country of origin.

Migrant Workers: Pay

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he made an estimate of the number of foreign companies employing migrant workers in the UK who have sued their employees for overpayment of wages upon their return to their country of origin.

Damian Hinds: DWP has received no representations on migrant employees in the UK being forced to repay funds paid to them as a result of shortfalls in wages to their employers upon return to their country of origin.

Work Capability Assessment: Chronic Illnesses

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the announcement of 1 October 2016 that people with long-term degenerative conditions will be exempt from repeat work capability assessments, if he will set out those medical conditions a diagnosis for which will provide such exemption.

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the announcement of 1 October 2016 that people with long-term degenerative conditions will be exempt from repeat work capability assessments, if he will confirm that that exemption will apply to people who have been found eligible for employment and support allowance and who have a diagnosis of (a) motor neurone disease or (b) Parkinson's disease.

Penny Mordaunt: There is no condition based entitlement to Employment Support Allowance.We will be working over the coming months with medical professionals and other stakeholders to develop functional criteria that will help us identify those with the most severe health conditions or disabilities, for whom repeat work capability assessments can be stopped.Rather than a list of specific medical conditions, the criteria will be based on identifying claimants with the most severe health conditions or disabilities where it would be unreasonable to expect the individual to undertake any form or amount of work or work-related activity. This change will only apply to those placed in the Support Group and UC equivalent.

British Steel: Pensions

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Pensions Regulator on using its powers to oblige Tata Steel to increase its support for the British Steel Pension Scheme.

Richard Harrington: The Pensions Regulator is independent, and how it uses its powers is a matter for the regulator. The Secretary of State and I regularly meet the independent Pensions Regulator about a variety of matters.

Long Term Unemployed People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans he has to help reduce long-term unemployment.

Damian Hinds: The number of people in employment is increasing and the latest figures show that the employment rate has remained at the record high of 74.5%. There are more people in work than ever before (31.81 million) – up 106,000 on the quarter and 560,000 on the year.The number of long term unemployment is 443,000 – the lowest level since 2008.Universal Credit, the Work Programme and the Jobcentre Plus Offer, is reforming the welfare system to improve incentives and provide more effective support to those without work.Work Coaches have the flexibility to offer all claimants a comprehensive menu of help which includes skills provision and job search support. All claimants who are long term unemployed can access the tailored, back to work support on offer from the Work Programme, which provides support for those who are more at risk of long-term unemployment.An Employment and Health Related Service is being launched in 2017. The Work and Health Programme is a new programme that will harness the expertise of private, public, voluntary and community sector providers to deliver sustained work for disabled people, disadvantaged groups and the long term unemployed.There is also to be a new Youth Obligation from April 2017. From day 1 of their claim, young people will participate in an intensive support regime equipping them with vital skills to not only find a job, but build capability to sustain work. After six months they will be expected to apply for an appropriate apprenticeship, a traineeship, gain work skills or go on a mandatory work placement to give them the opportunities they need to get on in work.

Attendance Allowance

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2016 to Question 47504, whether the Welsh Government has agreed to take responsibility for attendance allowance.

Penny Mordaunt: The consultation “Self-sufficient local government: 100% business rates retention”, published by the Department for Communities and Local Government, sought views on a range of options for devolving new responsibilities to local government in England including more responsibility for caring for older people. This was not a consultation on the devolution of Attendance Allowance.If changes were to be considered in respect of Attendance Allowance for England and Wales, there would be further consultation and any proposals would be discussed with the Welsh Government.

Pension Funds

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when he plans to publish the response to the Government's consultation on section 75 employer debt in pension funds, published in March 2015.

Richard Harrington: My Department is currently considering further changes to employer debt legislation, following a Call for Evidence about section 75 employer debt in non-associated multi-employer schemes last year with a view to consulting on any specific proposals in due course.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Floods: Insurance

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the (a) availability and (b) affordability of contents insurance for renters in at-risk flood areas.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Content insurance is widely available to tenants in high flood risk areas, with the Flood Re scheme helping this to be affordable. The Scheme has provided backing to 53,000 policies since its launch in April 2016.

Air Pollution

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to put mechanisms in place to maintain the UK's air quality (a) targets and (b) levels after the UK leaves the EU.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The UK has a long commitment to improving the environment even before the EU; for example the Clean Air Act was introduced in 1956. Our strong commitment to improving air quality will continue after the UK leaves the EU. As we prepare to negotiate our exit the Government will continue to ensure the right policies are in place for a cleaner, healthier environment for everyone.DEFRA will soon be publishing a 25 Year Environment Plan Framework, in line with our manifesto. The publication of the Framework will be a clear message on our world-leading ambition to leave the environment in a better state for future generations than we find it.Air quality has improved significantly in recent decades; we are working at local, national and international levels and will continue to do more.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many operators have been licenced to carry out badger culling; and how many such licence applications have been refused since the badger cull began.

George Eustice: For 2016 over the 10 licensed areas, 1446 operators are authorised to carry out badger culling, (latest figures: 17/10/16). The control companies submit details of those operators they wish to put forward to become authorised to undertake licensed action, (each operator does not submit an individual licence application). Natural England has not refused to authorise any operator where the relevant details were submitted; i.e. confirmation of attending and passing the relevant training or refresher courses and valid Firearms Certificate or Shotgun Certificate details.

Dangerous Dogs: Prosecutions

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people in (a) the UK and (b) Wiltshire have been prosecuted under sections (a) 1(3), (b) 3(1) and (c) 3(3) of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 in (i) 2015 and (ii) 2016 to date; and if she will make a statement.

George Eustice: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts in 2015 for offences, under the requested sections of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, in England and Wales, and specifically for Wiltshire, is in the table below. Data for 2016 is not yet available.Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences under selected sections of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991, England and Wales (with breakdown for Wiltshire Police Force Area), 2015 (1)(2)Section of ActCoverageSection 1(3)England and Wales199of whichWiltshire1Section 3(1)England and Wales1,501of whichWiltshire11Section 3(3)England and Wales8of whichWiltshire-'-' = Nil(1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.Ref: 557-16 PQC 48656

Birds of Prey

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to prevent the illegal killing of hen harriers.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, with strong penalties for committing offences against birds of prey and other wildlife. The Government takes wildlife crime very seriously and raptor persecution is a UK wildlife crime priority and has a delivery group led by a senior police officer to consider what action should be taken, and develop a plan to prevent crime, gather intelligence on offences and enforce against it. It focuses on the golden eagle, goshawk, hen harrier, peregrine, red kite and white tailed eagle. The National Wildlife Crime Unit, which Defra funds jointly with the Home Office, monitors and gathers intelligence on illegal activities affecting birds of prey and provides assistance to police forces when required. The Government has also published the Hen Harrier Action Plan, setting out proposals to increase hen harrier populations in England and includes measures to stop illegal persecution. A copy of the plan can be accessed at www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/491818/hen-harrier-action-plan-england-2016.pdf.

Fisheries: Monitoring

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of UK fishing trips and hauls were (a) accompanied by fisheries observers and (b) electronically monitored by cameras in each of the last three years.

George Eustice: UK fisheries observers accompanied 610 UK fishing trips in 2013, 755 in 2014 and 595 in 2015. The number of vessels that have been electronically monitored using remote electronic monitoring (REM) equipment (which includes cameras) in each of the last three years (to and including 2016) is show in the table below. Year201420152016 (to 18/10)No. of vessels444531No. of trips121416521005 While the number of vessels being electronically monitored is a low proportion of all UK vessels, those which are electronically monitored have a high catching capacity. For example, in 2015 some 82% of total landings by English vessels of North Sea cod were made by vessels monitored by REM equipment.

Fisheries: Monitoring

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how the Government plans to monitor the phased in landing obligation requirements (a) generally and (b) for North Sea cod in 2017 to ensure that no illegal discarding or high grading is occurring; and what the level of (a) observer coverage and (b) electronic monitoring coverage is planned for 2017.

George Eustice: Responsibility for ensuring compliance with the Landing Obligation (LO) rests with Defra, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and the UK’s Devolved Administrations. After an advisory period, and for the vessels for which it is responsible, the MMO is ensuring that fishing vessels are fully compliant with LO requirements while working at sea through inspections, including those made by Royal Navy offshore patrol vessels. Fishing vessels are selected for inspection at sea using a risk-based and intelligence-led approach. Any illegal discarding or high grading discovered is dealt with in-line with the MMO’s compliance strategy. Coastal inspectors have received guidance and instruction on the LO, covering both pelagic and demersal fisheries. This guidance is updated in-line with regulatory changes every year, and coastal inspectors are monitoring both fish markets and landings. We are currently working with industry to continue a scheme that will fully document certain catches using electronic monitoring equipment in 2017, and going forward, as the LO is phased in.

Home Office

Asylum: Children

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that unaccompanied refugee children in Europe with an existing family connection in the UK have their asylum under the Dublin Regulation processed without undue delay.

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time is between application for asylum and transfer to the UK for unaccompanied children in Europe who are accepted for humanitarian protection under the Dublin regulation.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Government is fully committed to the efficient and timely operation of the Dublin Regulation and we are working closely with EU partners, including the French, Greek and Italian authorities to identify, assess and transfer children to the UK under the Dublin family reunion process.We have seconded a UK official to Greece; we have a long-standing secondee working in Italy and we have seconded another official to the French Interior Ministry to support these efforts. We have established a dedicated team in the Home Office Dublin Unit to lead on family reunion cases for unaccompanied children.Between 1 January and 1 October 2016 over 140 unaccompanied children were accepted for transfer, compared to around 20 children in the whole of 2015.Transfer requests from Member States involving children under the Dublin Regulation are now generally processed within 10 days. Children can then be transferred within weeks and are now arriving in the UK on an almost weekly basis.The Home Secretary made clear on the 10th October that we will transfer as many minors as possible to the UK, who are eligible under the Dublin Regulation before the camp clearance starts.

Pathology

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the implications for its policies of the conclusions and recommendations in the Hutton review of forensic pathology in England and Wales, submitted to the Minister of State for Crime and Prevention in March 2015.

Brandon Lewis: Since the completion of Professor Hutton’s review the Home Office Forensic Pathology Unit has been consulting with stakeholders on a range of options for implementing the Review’s recommendations. This includes an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of various options to take forward the main recommendation of establishing a ‘National Death Investigation Service’.Recommendations on the preferred option will be presented to Home Office Ministers in October 2016. In parallel, the Pathology Delivery Board, chaired by the Home Office, assessed all the recommendations and established a programme of work to address them individually. This programme has progressed to completion and is set to be formally signed-off at the next meeting of the Pathology Delivery Board, chaired by the Home Office, in November 2016.

Spit Guards

Amanda Solloway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of spit hoods; and what assessment she has made of the extent of use of such hoods by police forces.

Brandon Lewis: The use of ‘spit hoods’, as with any other use of restraint or force, is an operational matter for Chief Officers. The Home Office is clear that all uses of force or restraint must be necessary and proportionate.In recognition of the importance of ensuring transparency in how police forces use various means of restraint, the former Home Secretary asked Chief Constable David Shaw to review what data should be collected and published. The review recommended that forces record a range of data in all instances when significant force is used, including restraint techniques and the use of spit hoods.The data to be collected includes the age, gender, ethnicity and sex of the subject, the type of force used, reason for the use of force, and the outcome of the incident.

Crime: Research

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made an assessment of the correlation between people who commit crimes against animals and go on to commit crimes against the person.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office has made no specific assessment of the correlation between people who commit crimes against animals and go on to commit crimes against the person.In March this year the Government published the Modern Crime Prevention Strategy. The strategy sets out the evidence that points to six key drivers of crime: drugs; alcohol; the effectiveness of the Criminal Justice System; character (or an individual’s propensity to offend); opportunity; and profit. The strategy can be accessed at:www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/509831/6.1770_Modern_Crime_Prevention_Strategy_final_WEB_version.pd

Refugees: Syria

Mr Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what integrated processes between services in the UK have been organised to receive Syrian child refugees from Calais.

Mr Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent progress has been made on reaching an agreement on receiving children to the UK from the Calais camps.

Mr Robert Goodwill: On 10 October, the Home Secretary met with French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve to discuss a range of issues, including the proposed clearance of the camp in Calais.The UK Government has made clear its commitment to transfer from Europe to the UK unaccompanied refugee children under the 2016 Immigration Act, and ensure those with close links to the UK are brought here using the Dublin Regulation, where it is in their best interests. Home Office teams are being deployed to France over the coming weeks to work with the French authorities to speed up the identification and transfer of eligible cases. These children originate from a number of countries including Syria.We are consulting with local authorities in the UK to establish their capacity to host more unaccompanied children, ensuring we have the right accommodation and support for those who may be brought to the UK from Europe. The National Transfer Scheme has been established to promote a fairer distribution of caring responsibilities across the country in a way that protects the best interests of all children.

Refugees: Syria

Mr Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what integrated processes between the UK and other countries have been organised to receive Syrian child refugees.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Through the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Resettlement scheme we are working with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Organisation for Migration to resettle Syrian refugee families from Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt. We continue to work with UK local authorities to ensure reception arrangements, accommodation and appropriate care arrangements are in place.

Abortion: Protest

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is putting in place to protect women accessing abortion clinics (a) in London and (b) elsewhere against protestors.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office is aware of a number of recent protests outside some abortion clinics which we take extremely seriously. This country has a proud history of allowing free speech but the right to peaceful protest does not extend to harassment or threatening behaviour. The law currently provides protection against such acts.The police have a range of powers to deal with protests outside clinics. Section 5 of the Public Order Act 1986, makes it an offence to display threatening, or abusive words or images that, within the sight of someone, is likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress. Section 14 of the Public Order Act 1986 allows the police to place conditions on the location, duration or numbers attending a public assembly. This can be applied where the police believe that the assembly may result in serious public disorder, serious damage to property, serious disruption to the life of the community, or that the purpose by the assembly organisers is to intimidate others to compel them not to do an act that they have a right to do.The police have dispersal powers (in public places) under sections 34 and 35 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, to remove or reduce the likelihood of members of the public being harassed, alarmed or distressed, or to prevent local crime or disorder.The Protection from Harassment Act 1997 includes criminal offences that protect individuals, who are conducting lawful activities, from harassment by protestors.The policing of protests and the use of police powers are an operational matter for the police.

Asylum: Scotland

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding her Department is providing for costs associated with (a) health services and (b) civil legal advice and assistance in Scotland for expenditure consequential on dispersing asylum seekers to Scotland.

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what expenditure her Department made and what funding it provided to the Scottish Government in 2015-16 for the provision to dispersed asylum seekers in Scotland of (a) health services and (b) civil legal advice and assistance and civil legal aid.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Health in Scotland is a devolved matter and therefore responsibility for funding would be with the Scottish Government. Legal aid in Scotland is the responsibility of the Scotland Legal Aid Board, an executive non-departmental public body of the Scottish Government.To ensure statutory duties are met, Home Office funds local migration partnerships to support inter-agency planning of central funded public services for asylum seekers. It also offers 'signposting', independent advice to asylum seekers so they can access health and legal aid, under a contract with Migrant Help. It is however, out with the jurisdiction of Home Office to directly fund health care and legal aid.

Asylum: Children

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to resettle the unaccompanied child refugees in Calais entitled to be in the UK.

Mr Robert Goodwill: As stated by the Home Secretary on Monday 10 October in Parliament, it has been agreed with the French Interior Minister that we should transfer from the camp as many minors as possible eligible under the Dublin Regulation over the next few days before clearance commences.It was also outlined that those children eligible for transfer to the UK under the Immigration Act 2016 must be looked after in safe facilities where their best interests are properly considered. The UK Government stands ready to help to fund such facilities and provide the resourcing to aid the decision making. The UK remains committed to upholding our humanitarian responsibilities on protecting minors and the most vulnerable, including children.

Asylum

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what provision her Department makes for asylum seekers who require documents from their country of origin to normalise their immigration status.

Mr Robert Goodwill: All asylum seekers are expected to provide any documents they have as part of the asylum process. We do not expect asylum seekers to contact the authorities of their country of origin while their claim is being processed. Where refugee status is granted, a Biometric Residence Permit is issued. This provides immigration status details.

Work Permits

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the time taken to issue work permits for foreign workers.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The published service standard for resolving non-settlement visa applications is within 15 working days.For applications submitted within the UK applicants applying under Tier 2 of the Points Based System can choose between a same-day, ten-day or eight week service.Where an application is complex and likely to take longer than the advertised processing times, UK Visas and Immigration will contact the applicant to inform them of this. Customer service is a key priority for UK Visas and Immigration, and the efficiency and effectiveness of the application process is kept under regular review. Customers now apply and pay online in addition to being able to make appointments to submit their documents and biometrics at visa application centres in over 200 locations around the world.

Assaults on Police

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) police officers and (b) police community support officers have been assaulted in each constabulary in each year since 2010.

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many days of police time were lost in sick leave as a result of assaults on police officers in each constabulary in each year since 2010.

Brandon Lewis: The Home Office does not hold all of the data requested. Data that are held are provided in the accompanying tables. These statistics have been supplied to the Home Office from police forces’ live operational systems. As such, the numbers may change as information on those systems is updated.Published data for 2014/15 and 2015/16, along with notes can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/police-workforce-england-and-walesNone of the current data sources provide a complete measure of assaults, and the Home Office is currently working with police forces to improve this data.Information on the number of working days lost by police officers as a result of sickness due to assault ceased to be collected from 2012/13 due to significant issues with the completeness and quality of the data.The number of working days lost by police community support officers as a result of sickness due to assaults is not held centrally by the Home Office.

Asylum: Housing

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, which local authorities have signed up to COMPASS for the provision of asylum accommodation.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 introduced the policy of national dispersal, designed to share the impact of asylum seekers across the whole of the UK. The Home Office publishes figures on the number of asylum seekers housed in dispersed accommodation by local authority.

Asylum: Cambridge

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum cases have been referred to the Case Assurance and Audit Unit that related to asylum seekers in the City of Cambridge in each of the last three years.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Data on the numbers of asylum seekers in Cambridge at specific times in their immigration history (such as their referral to a Home Office unit) cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost because checks of individual records would be required.

Asylum: Cambridge

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum cases are being processed by her Department in the City of Cambridge.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Our records indicate that the number of asylum cases awaiting a decision on their asylum claim at 30 June 2016 where the latest address is in a City of Cambridge postcode area was 15.Notes1. The data includes the number of asylum cases awaiting an asylum decision. A case may be for a single claimant or for more than one person (the main asylum claimant and their dependants).2. The data relates to asylum cases where the claim was raised after 1 October 2006.3. Cases awaiting a decision are those where there is no asylum decision outcome recorded against the case.4. The data includes those cases where the claimant’s latest postcode begins with CB1, CB2, CB3, CB4 or CB5.5. The data has been compiled by identifying the latest valid postcode recorded for the main applicant on the Case Information Database (CID) on the day the data was extracted. This postcode is the most recently recorded postcode for correspondence purposes and may not represent the claimant’s place of residence.6. Data extracted from CID on 13 October 2016. These statistics have been taken from a live operational database. As such numbers may change as information on that system is updated

Migrant Camps: France

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in the refugee camps in France.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The humanitarian conditions in the camps in northern France are of concern to both the UK and French governments and we are committed to working jointly to resolve the situation.Both governments are clear that those in northern France in need of protection should claim asylum in France and those not in need should return to their home country. Our priority is to ensure the safety and security of children in the camps, and we are committed to working closely with the French government to ensure as many children as possible with family in the UK who are eligible under the Dublin regulation are transferred here.

Graduates: Migrant Workers

Dr Rupa Huq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to retain visa exemptions for PhD-level jobs after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Future immigration arrangements for EU citizens are still to be determined. However, the Government has consistently enhanced the treatment of PhD-level jobs in the immigration system.Immigration reforms since 2010 have explicitly taken account of the needs of academics, scientists and researchers and will continue to do so.

Immigrants: Detainees

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, for what reasons gender-based violence has been included in the Adults at Risk guidelines to caseworkers under the category mental health conditions.

Sarah Newton: The adults at risk guidelines were written specifically for Home Office decision makers and in a way which simply brigaded conditions or events (such as events of sexual or gender based violence) which may have impacted on an individual’s mental condition and, in turn, their suitability for detention.This does not imply that sexual or gender based violence is regarded as being subordinate to mental health conditions generally – it is simply an acknowledgment that sexual or gender based violence may have an impact on the individual’s mental health.

Forced Marriage: Prosecutions

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the implications for its policies of the number of successful prosecutions for forced marriage.

Sarah Newton: The Government is committed to tackling the practice of forced marriage and providing the best protection possible to victims. We made forced marriage a criminal offence in 2014 to better protect victims and send a clear message that this abhorrent practice is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated in the UK. The recent Crown Prosecution Service Violence Against Women and Girls Crime Report, published in September 2016, shows that the volume of prosecutions completed in 2015-16 rose to 53 – a rise from 46 in 2014-15.As part of the wider work to improve the police response to so-called ‘honour’ based violence, we will continue to work with partners to review the implementation of the new forced marriage legislation and lead efforts to tackle this crime. The joint Home Office/ Foreign Office Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) leads efforts to combat forced marriage both at home and abroad.The FMU works closely with a range of voluntary and community sector and support organisations through an ongoing programme of outreach. We are encouraged by the first conviction secured in June last year, but there is still work to be done. We want to see more victims having the confidence to come forward and to raise awareness of these crimes.

Refugees: Climate Change

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of climate change on the number of climate refugees coming to the UK.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The government takes the issue of climate change and those displaced as a result of climate change extremely seriously, which is why we are proud of our contribution under the Paris Climate Change Agreement.The Refugee Convention 1951 is an international treaty which sets the global definition of who is a refugee. It does not have an explicit category that covers those fleeing climate change but the government continues to work with our global partners to address the causes of forced migration, including as part of UN discussions on proposed international compacts on migration and asylum.

Metals

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many warrants have been issued authorising entry in accordance with section 16(5) of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013 in each year since that Act came into force.

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many scrap metal dealers have had their scrap metal licences revoked for not displaying a copy of their licence (a) at each site identified in the licence and (b) on any vehicle that was being used in the course of the dealer's business in each year since 2013.

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many scrap metal (a) site and (b) collectors licences have been (i) renewed and (ii) revoked in each year since 2013 in each local authority.

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many scrap metal (a) site and (b) collectors licences have been issued in each year since 2013.

Mr David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many scrap metal (a) sites and (b) collectors licences have been modified because of a change of trading name in each year since 2013.

Brandon Lewis: Information about extant scrap metal dealer licences, both collector and site licences, is available in Wales on the Natural Resources Wales public register of scrap metal dealers and in England on the Environment Agency’s public register.These licences are issued by local authorities and the Home Office does not collect or hold information on the number of licences issued, renewed, modified or revoked by local authorities.Similarly, the Home Office does not collect or hold information on the number of warrants to enable the police or an officer of a local authority to enter premises for the purposes specified in section 16(5) of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013.

Social Networking

Anna Turley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many meetings Ministers of her Department have had with social media companies to discuss harmful online content since May 2015.

Sarah Newton: Home Office Ministers routinely meet with a range of stakeholders, including social media companies, to discuss action to protect people from harmful online content. Ministers also meet social media companies on specific issues such as online hate crime and extremism.In addition, they attend meetings of the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS), which brings together industry, law enforcement, academia, charities, parenting groups and government departments and meets on a regular basis.

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether, when setting up the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse, the Government stipulated how many members of the counsel team supporting that inquiry were to practise family law.

Sarah Newton: The Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse was established under the Inquiries Act 2005. The appointment of counsel to the inquiry is a matter for the inquiry chair. The only requirement under the Inquiry Rules 2006 is that counsel appointed by the chair should be ‘qualified lawyers,’ which means they must be a solicitor or barrister in England and Wales.

Asylum: Children

Stella Creasy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what records her Department holds of (a) children currently in Europe who potentially qualify for resettlement to the UK under the Dublin III convention and (b) children currently in Europe who potentially qualify for resettlement to the UK under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 who do not have a family member in the UK; and what the (i) dates are and (ii) source is from which such records were received since 1 January 2016.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The Dublin Regulation is the mechanism to transfer individuals to other Member States for consideration of their asylum claim, rather than a mechanism for resettlement. The number of unaccompanied children in the process of seeking asylum in other Member States is a matter for individual Member States. However, our secondees in France, Greece and Italy are working to identify and assess eligible cases, and transfers are underway.

Internet: Bullying

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department has taken to tackle online abuse and harassment targeted at women on (a) social media networks, (b) Facebook and (c) Twitter.

Sarah Newton: We expect social media companies, and internet platforms, to have robust processes in place and to act promptly when abuse is reported, this includes acting quickly to remove inappropriate content, and where appropriate, suspending or terminating the accounts of those breaching the rules in place. The Government continues to work closely with social media companies and other relevant actors and experts to make sure they are committed to protecting those who use their platforms.The Criminal Justice Act 2015 strengthened two existing communications offences: section 1 of the Malicious Communications Act 1988, and section 127 of the Communications Act 2003 which can now be used to prosecute misuse of social media. The police now have longer to investigate either offence, and the maximum penalty for the former has been increased to two years imprisonment.

Ministry of Defence

Ministry of Defence: Billing

Richard  Arkless: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how his Department monitors the obligations it places on its subcontractors to pay bills within 30 days.

Harriett Baldwin: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to implementing a prompt payment policy throughout the supply chain. We place a contractual obligation on our prime contractors to pay their subcontractors within 30 days.As with all contractual issues, in relation to direct contracts between the MOD and its suppliers, we would investigate any breaches to contract conditions on a case-by-case basis. While there is currently no established method of monitoring prompt payment outside of our direct contracts, we are working to update MOD contractual conditions to strengthen the prompt payment obligation throughout the supply chain.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) training and (b) specific operational advice has been provided to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on (i) political authorisation of military operations, (ii) targeting of aerial operations and (iii) after-action reviews on operations in Yemen in the last 12 months.

Sir Michael Fallon: As part of our ongoing Defence engagement with Saudi Arabia the UK has provided training to the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) both in the UK and in Saudi Arabia, including International Targeting courses for RSAF personnel, to improve their targeting processes and to support International Humanitarian Law (IHL) compliance. The UK has supported the development of the coalition Joint Incident Assessment Team (JIAT) and delivered two training sessions in Saudi Arabia on the process for investigating alleged IHL violations. The UK has not been directly involved in investigations undertaken by the JIAT, has not provided any specific operational advice to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for operations in Yemen and has not provided training on political authorisation of military operations.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what (a) technical and (b) personnel support has been provided to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to investigate possible breaches of (i) targeting procedures, (ii) the rules of engagement and (iii) international humanitarian law on operations in Yemen in the last 12 months.

Sir Michael Fallon: It is important that all parties to the conflict in Yemen conduct thorough and conclusive investigations into all incidents where it is alleged that International Humanitarian Law (IHL) has been breached. We regularly raise the importance of compliance with IHL with the Saudi Arabian Government and other members of the military coalition.The UK has supported the development of the coalition Joint Incident Assessment Team (JIAT) and delivered two training sessions in Saudi Arabia on the process for investigating alleged IHL violations. We have not been directly involved in investigations undertaken by the JIAT.

HM Treasury

Bank Services

Chi Onwurah: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department has had with the (a) Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, (b) Cabinet Office, (c) Department for Culture, Media and Sport, (d) Financial Conduct Authority, (e) Information Commissioner's Office, (f) European Commission and (g) European Banking Authority on open banking and their responsibilities in protecting customers' interests.

Chi Onwurah: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the timeline is for implementing the Open Banking Standard; and how he plans to ensure that sensitive banking data passes safely and securely from banks to third parties when that standard is implemented.

Simon Kirby: Treasury ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) published the final report of its market investigation into retail banking on 9 August 2016. As part of this the CMA requires the nine largest UK banks to develop and adopt an open banking standard for application programming interfaces (APIs) to allow access to customer account information, as set out in the revised Payment Services Directive (PSDII) which will come into force in January 2018. These nine banks are required to deliver open data APIs and midata APIs by Q1 2017, and deliver the full open API banking standard by early 2018. Data protection and cyber security are key considerations in PSDII, and the government will be consulting on the transposition of this directive shortly.

Redundancy Pay: Nuclear Power Stations

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will meet the hon. Member for Copeland to discuss the effect of the exit payment cap on nuclear workers in Copeland constituency.

Mr David Gauke: The government announced in May 2015 that it intends to take forward its manifesto commitment to end six-figure exit payments for public sector workers. The Enterprise Act, which contains provisions for the £95,000 public sector exit payment cap, received Royal Assent on 4 May 2016. Public sector exit payments cost around £2 billion a year and it is important that they are fair, proportionate and provide value for money to the taxpayer that funds them. The proposed cap, amounting to 3.5 times the average public sector salary, will still offer a significant level of compensation and support to an employee, and will apply to only a small percentage of public sector exits. The exit payment cap will apply to organisations classified as within the public sector by the Office for National Statistics, with a small number of exceptions. I am aware that the hon. Member for Copeland is discussing the effect of the cap on nuclear workers in his constituency with my noble friend the Minister of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). That is the appropriate route for these discussions as BEIS is the department responsible for the nuclear industry.

Insurance: Disability

Tulip Siddiq: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will request that regulators investigate whether disabled people have access to insurance that fairly reflects risk.

Simon Kirby: Paragraph 21(1) of Schedule 3, Part 5 of the Equality Act 2010 makes clear that it is not a contravention of the Act for insurers to make decisions on the grounds of disability provided they do so by reference to information from a reliable source that is relevant to the risk to be insured, and that it is a reasonable decision. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) expects firms to comply with relevant legislation, including the Equality Act, and can undertake its own enquiries to better understand what the firm is doing and whether any of its regulatory requirements have been breached.

Cabinet Office

Civil Servants: Redundancy Pay

Clive Efford: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 23 May 2016 to Question 37393, how many civil servants have had their exit payments capped at £95,000 prior to 1 October 2016; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Skidmore: I shall reply to the hon. Member as soon as possible.

Department for International Trade

Overseas Trade: Wales

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he plans to take to strengthen Wales' international business links.

Mark Garnier: My Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade has visited Scotland and Northern Ireland, and has plans to visit Wales in November 2016. The Department for International Trade, whilst representing the whole of the United Kingdom, also has an excellent working relationship with Welsh Government. The five-year Exporting is GREAT campaign is designed to inspire and support UK companies to take advantage of the global appetite for UK products, skills and expertise in markets around the world, driving them to start exporting or increase their international business. This includes launching a Directory of UK businesses in November that will provide a world-leading platform for companies to promote themselves in lucrative global markets.

Department of Health

General Practitioners: Greater London

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much was spent per head on GP services in (a) Enfield Clinical Commissioning Group area, (b) Barnet Clinical Commissioning Group area, (c) Haringey Clinical Commissioning Group area and (d) on average by all Clinical Commissioning Group areas across Greater London in each of the last three years.

David Mowat: Information on expenditure on general practice (GP) services during 2013/14 and 2014/15 is not available, as the expenditure was not recorded at that level during those years. Figures showing NHS England’s expenditure on GP services in the three specified clinical commissioning group (CCG) areas and in London overall for 2015/16, are given below: AreaOutturn - 2015/16Barnet CCG Medical Primary Care spend per capita - weighted list£ 120.89Medical Primary Care spend per capita - raw list£ 110.06  Enfield CCG Medical Primary Care spend per capita - weighted list£ 123.18Medical Primary Care spend per capita - raw list£ 113.02  Haringey CCG Medical Primary Care spend per capita - weighted list£ 119.33Medical Primary Care spend per capita - raw list£ 114.33  London Medical Primary Care spend per capita - weighted list£ 126.30Medical Primary Care spend per capita - raw list£ 118.92Source: NHS England. The raw figure is the number of individuals before they are weighted for characteristics such as age, needs etc. The weighted figure is the actual spend per person.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Greater London

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the average waiting times for treatment in the accident and emergency departments of (a) the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and (b) North Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust for each of the last 12 months.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS Digital, Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) measure accident and emergency (A&E) waiting times from arrival to assessment, treatment and departure. A table showing the mean and median waiting times for the last 12 months for the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and North Middlesex University Hospital is below. Data for 2015-16 and 2016-17 is provisional and may be subject to in-year changes. Mean and median1 duration in minutes to assessment2, treatment3 and departure4 for unplanned A&E attendances4 at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust and North Middlesex University Hospital for 2015-16 (provisional data)5  MonthDuration to Assessment (minutes)2Duration to Treatment (minutes)3Duration to Departure (minutes)4MeanMedianMeanMedianMeanMedianRoyal Free London NHS Foundation Trust6August 2015631610264159148September 2015701817180163151October 2015711915880165155November 20151683014685182165December 20152053314680178162January 201629810116591204177February 20162375015399199179March 201625255166108201183April 20162454614586185168May 20162635914391180172June 20162928016393193177July 20162675314987180164North Middlesex University Hospital NHS TrustAugust 2015251610092178180September 2015301810794190185October 20152919118107195191November 20153524132119219204December 20153323136122229207January 20163523142118250207February 20163522141120241206March 20163221132110228197April 2016261711391215182May 2016251811592212181June 2016251810486197175July 201621157865161153Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS DigitalNotes:Activity in English National Health Service Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector.1 Mean and Median: The mean (average) and median (middle) in ranking when all values are sorted in order) duration in minutes to assessment, treatment or duration.2 Duration to assessment: This is the total amount of time in minutes between the patients’ arrival and their initial assessment in the A&E department. This is calculated as the difference in time from arrival at A&E to the time when the patient is initially assessed.3 Duration to treatment: This is the total amount of time in minutes between the patients’ arrival and the start of their treatment. This is calculated as the difference in time from arrival at A&E to the time when the patient began treatment4 Duration to departure: This is total amount of time spent in minutes in an A&E department. This is calculated as the difference in time from arrival at A&E to the time when the patient is discharged from A&E care. This includes being admitted to hospital, dying in the department, discharged with no follow up or discharged and referred to another specialist department5 2015-16 and 2016-17 is provisional data and may be incomplete or contain errors for which no adjustments have yet been made.6 Between November 2015 and July 2016, the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust shows a mean time to assessment greater than the mean time to treatment. This appears to be a data quality.

Pharmacy: Finance

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the effect on the number of community pharmacies of proposed changes to pharmacy funding.

David Mowat: Community pharmacy is a vital part of the National Health Service and can play an even greater role. In the Spending Review the Government re-affirmed the need for the NHS to deliver £22 billion in efficiency savings by 2020/21 as set out in the NHS’s own plan, the Five Year Forward View. Community pharmacy is a core part of NHS primary care and has an important contribution to make as the NHS rises to these challenges. The Government believes efficiencies can be made without compromising the quality of services including public access to medicines. Our aim is to ensure that those community pharmacies upon which people depend continue to thrive and so we have consulted on the introduction of a Pharmacy Access Scheme, which will provide more NHS funds to certain pharmacies compared to others, considering factors such as location and the health needs of the local population. Our proposals are about improving services for patients and the public and securing efficiencies and savings. A consequence may be the closure of some pharmacies but that is not our aim.

Patients: Transport

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what advice his Department gives to clinical commissioning groups on how to respond in circumstances where a private provider of patient transport services has its ambulances seized by bailiffs; and on how many occasions such a seizure has taken place.

Mr Philip Dunne: The contractual arrangements entered into by clinical commissioning groups are matters for the organisations concerned and for NHS England. The Department is aware from media accounts that such a seizure of vehicles took place in June of this year in Sussex.

Health Professions: Temporary Employment

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what meetings he has had in the last 12 months with representatives from the British Medical Association, the General Medical Council and the Royal College of Nursing on reducing the need for temporary and agency staff in NHS England.

Mr Philip Dunne: My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State meets regularly with external partners, including the British Medical Association, the General Medical Council and the Royal College of Nursing to discuss a range of issues affecting the National Health Service, including reducing spending on temporary and agency staff in the NHS. The Secretary of State introduced a series of radical measures to bring spiralling agency spending back under control in 2015, including price caps limiting the amount a trust can pay to an agency for temporary staff. The measures have had a significant impact, trusts are using the price caps to negotiate lower rates and secure a better deal for taxpayers. The NHS spent £300 million less on agency staff than it was projected to in 2015/16 with further savings forecast for the current financial year.

Medicine: Education

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he plans to meet representatives from the British Medical Association to discuss his Department's plans to increase medical school places.

Mr Philip Dunne: As announced by my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 4 October, the Government will run a public consultation in early 2017 on increasing the number of medical training places available to students each year from September 2018. All stakeholders, including the British Medical Association, will have an opportunity to input into policy development at this stage.

Health Professions: EU Nationals

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the Home Office and the Department for Exiting the European Union on ensuring job security for EU nationals employed in NHS England.

David Mowat: The Prime Minister has made it clear that she wishes for European Union citizens, including those working in NHS England, to remain in the United Kingdom and that such a thing would only not be possible if British citizens’ rights in European member states were not protected in return. My Rt. hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Health, Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Exiting the EU are working together to achieve that outcome.

Cancer: Diagnosis

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, how the Government's committed spend of up to £300 million per year to improve cancer diagnostics was allocated in 2015-16.

David Mowat: In September 2015 the Government announced funding of up to £300 million a year by 2020 to increase diagnostic capacity to meet the new target that patients will be given a definitive cancer diagnosis, or the all clear, within 28 days of being referred by a general practitioner. As the commitment was made during the 2015/16 financial year no funding was allocated in that year.

Pharmacy: Finance

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of potential reductions in the level of pharmacy funding on waiting times for NHS prescriptions.

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of reductions in pharmacy funding on the availability of essential medicines.

David Mowat: The Government’s proposals for community pharmacy in 2016/17 and beyond, on which we have consulted, are being considered against the public sector equality duty, the family test and the relevant duties of my Rt. hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health, under the National Health Service Act 2006. Our assessments include consideration of the potential impacts on the adequate provision of NHS pharmaceutical services, including the dispensing of prescriptions and supply of medicines. An impact assessment will be completed to inform final decisions and published in due course. Our proposals are about improving services for patients and the public and securing efficiencies and savings. We believe these efficiencies can be made within community pharmacy without compromising the quality of services or public access to them. Our aim is to ensure that those community pharmacies upon which people depend continue to thrive. We are consulting on the introduction of a Pharmacy Access Scheme, which will provide more NHS funds to certain pharmacies compared with others, considering factors such as location and the health needs of the local population.

Health Services: Directors

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) previous NHS directors and (b) previous private provider directors the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has on record as not being fit and proper persons to act as directors since the new responsibilities of the CQC and NHS trusts came into force in 2014; and how the CQC ensures that individual providers are aware of the people on this list when making a decision to hire directors.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on how many occasions since the Care Quality Commission's (CQC) new powers in relation to the fit and proper person test came into force the CQC has received concerns raised by a third party about whether a director meets the fit and proper person standards; and on how many such occasions (a) the CQC passed on those concerns and (b) the director in question denied consent to the CQC to pass on those concerns.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on how many occasions since the Care Quality Commission's (CQC) new powers in relation to the fit and proper person test came into force the CQC has assessed the directors of (a) NHS and (b) private providers as not being fit and proper persons after an inspection.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on how many occasions since the Care Quality Commission's (CQC) new powers in relation to the fit and proper person test came into force the CQC has rejected an application to register a provider because of concerns about whether the registered manager is a fit and proper person.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) provided the following information: As the regulator for health and social care in England, the CQC's role is to determine whether providers have a process for assessing their directors are fit and proper and are compliant with the regulations. The CQC does not maintain a record of directors who are not fit and proper persons within the meaning of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 (“the 2014 Regulations”). The requirement of Regulation 5 of the 2014 Regulations is for providers (and not the CQC) to determine whether their directors are fit for recruitment, and the CQC is not notified of the outcome of these determinations. The regulation also states that any information relating to the fit and proper person requirement (FPPR) for each of their directors must be available to be supplied to the CQC and so where it is not available to be supplied that would also potentially be a breach of the regulation. If a director were deemed unfit in line with the definition in the regulations and the provider was aware of this and the provider did not take necessary and proportionate action, this may constitute a breach of the legislation. Where the CQC has identified breaches of any part of the regulation to date, the CQC has issued requirement notices to providers requesting that they share with the CQC an action plan on how they intend to address the identified breach. The CQC has civil enforcement powers which it can use in response to a breach of the regulation that governs the FPPR but the CQC has not taken this action since the FPPR legislation was enacted.

NHS: Fraud

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many reports entered into NHS Protect's Fraud Information Reporting System Toolkit have been turned into cases in each year since 2009-10.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information requested is in the table.Financial YearReports EnteredResulting cases2009/104,5724,1772010/114,8883,7462011/124,3332,7722012/133,2841,4992013/142,5141,2512014/152,8811,3152015/163,1461,035

NHS Improvement

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much funding NHS Improvement has received for the 2016-17 financial year; how many staff that body employs; and how much funding each of the organisations that body has superseded received in each of the preceding five financial years.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS Improvement has an agreed budget of £166 million for the 2016/17 financial year and, as at 30 September, employs 913 people. Funding for the National Health Service Trust Development Authority (NHS TDA) and Monitor for the five proceeding years is provided in the table below. No figure is provided for NHS TDA against 2011/12 as the organisation had not been established.  Monitor (000s)NHS TDA (000s)2011/1216,200N/A2012/1344,7712,4602013/1452,50040,5162014/1583,36365,6122015/1673,68561,328 The figures in the table above represent non-ring-fenced revenue and capital funding. Ring-fenced and annually managed expenditure budgets are not included.

Health Services: Standards

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many providers NHS Protect has quality assessed against fraud, bribery and corruption standards in each year since 2009-10; and how many such providers NHS Protect has found to be performing below those standards in each such year.

Mr Philip Dunne: The NHS Protect quality assurance programme that measures compliance against standards became fully operational in 2014-15. Providers may be assessed against one or more of NHS Protect’s key principles for action (strategic governance; inform and involve; prevent and deter and hold to account). The information for each year since 2014-15 is in the table. YearTotal number assessedPartial and non-compliance1: strategic governancePartial and non-compliance1: inform and involvePartial and non-compliance1: prevent and deterPartial and non-compliance1: hold to account2014-155212217252015-1638225621Note:1 Partial-compliance with the standard means the effectiveness of work undertaken has not yet been evaluated or there is no reduction of the risk. There is therefore little or no evidence of outcomes. Non-compliance with the standard means a risk has been identified but no action has been taken to mitigate it, or the action taken is insufficient in scope.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons the information in answers to Questions (a) 11426 on 15 October 2015, (b) 11427 on 15 October 2015, (c) 11428 on 15 October 2015 and (d) 40070 on 13 June 2016 contain data from before the 2011-12 financial year when NHS Protect was set up.

Mr Philip Dunne: In April 2011, NHS Protect became the operating name for the NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service. The pre April 2011 information provided for questions 11426, 11427, 11428 and 40070 relates to NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service investigations, prosecutions and budget.

NHS: Fraud

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much money was (a) restrained and (b) confiscated by (i) NHS Protect and (ii) local counter-fraud specialists as a result of the discovery of wrongdoing within the NHS in each year since 2009-10.

Mr Philip Dunne: The purpose of a restraint order is to prevent the dissipation of assets and retain their availability for any subsequent confiscation following conviction. A restraint order includes property and non-monetary assets, to which a provisional (unconfirmed) value is applied. This value may vary significantly during the period of restraint for reasons of depreciation of fixed assets or fluctuations in market value. For this reason, information is not held on the amount of money restrained by individual financial year. The total value of confiscation orders executed by NHS Protect Financial Investigators is in the table. Financial YearNumber of confiscation ordersTotal confiscation value2009/100£02010/114£93,2222011/125£173,3632012/132£43,3832013/144£178,2282014/151£12015/1611£2,406,839Notes:1 Entries include values listed as £1 which relate to nominal orders where the individual does not have realisable assets, but may have in the future.2 The values stated represent those monies subject to confiscation under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, and do not represent the full value of monies recovered as a result of fraud investigations.3 Powers of restraint and confiscation are not available to Local Counter Fraud Specialists.

Health Services: Standards

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many registered private providers the Care Quality Commission has placed under special measures in each year since 2009-10.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care providers in England. The CQC has provided the following information: For the purposes of this Parliamentary Question, the CQC classify ‘private’ to mean ‘independent’. All data is shown at location-level. The CQC only reports on data at provider-level for National Health Service trusts. The CQC has provided the data from 2013/14 onwards only as this is when we began inspecting under our new methodology. Table showing the number of independent provider locations placed in special measures under the CQC's new methodology  HospitalsAdult Social CarePrimary Medical ServicesTotal2013/1400002014/1500002015/16145804592016/1753000305Total67580764

NHS Protect

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to Table 1 on page 5 of the NHS Protect document, Payroll fraud: guidance for prevention, detection and investigation, published in June 2015, if he will provide that information for each financial year since 2009-10.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information for the period 1 June 2012 to 31 May 2014 included in the NHS Protect guidance ‘Payroll fraud: guidance for prevention, detection and investigation’ published in June 2015 was a bespoke piece of analysis for that document. For the financial years 2009-10 to 2013-14 comparative information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. From 1 April 2014 reports submitted to NHS Protect have been classified using a new fraud classification system. The information requested for the financial years 2014-15 and 2015-16 is provided in the tables below. 2014-15Payroll CategoryInformation reports (IRs)% of info reports per key areaTurned into cases% of IRs turned into casesSickness (Working while sick)56340.89%23942.45%Timesheet and Overtime fraud47834.71%21444.77%Travel and Subsistence (Expenses and allowances)16812.20%9355.36%CV issues (Misrepresentation of qualifications and skills)16812.20%5432.14%Total1,377100%60043.68% 2015-16Payroll CategoryInformation reports (IRs)% of info reports per key areaTurned into cases% of IRs turned into casesSickness (Working while sick)63844.87%21433.54%Timesheet and Overtime fraud47833.61%16634.72%Travel and Subsistence (Expenses and allowances)18813.22%7942.02%CV issues (Misrepresentation of qualifications and skills)1188.30%5647.46%Total1,422100%51539.44%

NHS Protect

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, (a) how many accredited training sessions and (b) how much free paralegal advice NHS Protect has provided to staff throughout the NHS in each year since 2010-11; and how many staff in NHS Protect were employed to carry out those activities in each such year.

Mr Philip Dunne: The information requested is in the table. YearAccredited Training Sessions1Training, Development and Delivery staffLegal Advice provided2Legal Protect Unit staff2010/11142118732011/12101914732012/13111714532013/14141910232014/15101911032015/1611181123Notes:1 Courses are delivered to up to eight students within each programme.2 The figures for legal advice relate to files that have been opened, and do not include queries that take only a short time to resolve.

NHS: Fraud

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which NHS bodies have Local Counter-Fraud Specialists (LCFSs); and (a) how much funding each LCFS received, (b) how many investigations each LCFS carried out and (c) in how many such investigations wrongdoing was found in each year since 2009-10.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list the Regional and Specialist teams within NHS Protect; how many investigations have been carried out by each of those teams in each year since 2009-10; and how many such investigations in each area led to a finding of wrongdoing in each such year.

Mr Philip Dunne: As at 13 October 2016 all National Health Service bodies that are referenced in the NHS Choices list of authorities and trusts and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) (published at http://www.nhs.uk/ServiceDirectories/Pages/NHSTrustListing.aspx) have nominated Local Counter Fraud Specialists (LCFS) except for West London Mental Health Trust and NHS City and Hackney CCG. Information concerning the cost of counter fraud services cannot be provided as the release of this data would prejudice commercial interests. The number of investigations carried out by each LCFS and the cases where fraud was found and proven are shown in the table. Financial YearNumber of completed investigationsNumber of cases where fraud found and proven2009/102,9209182010/113,5061,0262011/122,4657642012/132,3636622013/142,0025552014/151,5435102015/16996357Notes:1 Figures provided are drawn from investigations that are concluded and closed within each financial year.2 The undertaking and completion of fraud investigations can span different financial years and, in the case of serious and complex investigations, multiple years. Between 2009/10 and 2010/11 NHS Protect’s predecessor organisation, the Counter Fraud and Security Management Service, undertook investigations and was structured in regional and specialist teams. Numbers of investigations and the cases where fraud was found and proven are shown in the table. Region/Team2009-10 Number of completed cases2009-10 Number of cases where fraud found and proven2010-11 Number of completed cases2010-11 Number of cases where fraud found and provenEastern36124926East Midlands38224620London1472411027North West33204619North and Yorks29122214South Eastern33133921South West2172211West Midland23104218Pharmaceutical Fraud Team629329Dental Fraud Team1815297National Investigations2411175Total464155454177 From April 2011 NHS Protect operated a National Investigation Service (NIS) dealing with the most serious and complex allegations of fraud, bribery and corruption. Other cases of fraud are investigated at a local level by Local Counter Fraud Specialists. NHS Protect staff are located in London, Coventry and Newcastle and operate as a single investigative team. The number of investigations carried out by NIS and the cases where fraud was proven are shown in the table. Financial YearNumber of completed investigationsNumber of cases where fraud found and proven2011/1295422012/13120582013/1470282014/1553242015/163011Notes:1 Figures provided are drawn from investigations that are concluded and closed within the each financial year.2 The undertaking and completion of fraud investigations can span different financial years and, in the case of serious and complex investigations, multiple years. Single investigations within NIS relate to the entirety of the allegation, and will cover multiple subjects.

NHS: Directors

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether and by how much the (a) funding and (b) staffing of (i) the Care Quality Commission and (ii) NHS providers has increased as a result of the new requirement to apply a fit and proper person test to NHS directors since October 2014.

Mr Philip Dunne: Grant in Aid funding for the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is agreed with the Department based on a number of factors, including any changes to its statutory function, the range of priorities identified in their business plan and any efficiencies needing to be met. It also takes account of funds received in fees from providers. The fit and proper person test is one of many elements of the CQC’s overall business.The cost to providers would be very small as providers were already required by the CQC regulations to notify CQC of any appointment of a new director.

NHS: Directors

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many directors were employed by NHS (a) trusts and (b) foundation trusts at the start of the 2014-15 financial year; and of those directors, how many no longer held posts in each type of trust by the start of the (i) 2015-16 and (ii) 2016-17 financial years.

Mr Philip Dunne: The following table from NHS Digital shows the number of National Health Service Hospital and Community Health Services Directors: Leavers from selected job roles in NHS trusts in England, between 31 March 2014 and 31 March 2016.Data is not available for the 2016-17 financial year so the latest data has been provided HeadcountLeavers  March 2014March 2014 to March 2015March 2014 to March 20161Foundation trusts1160222373Trusts excluding foundation trusts570130220Source: NHS Digital, NHS Hospital and Community Health Service (HCHS) workforce statistics.Notes:These figures include staff who had left by March 2015 shown under the previous column.The data includes the following job roles Board Level Director, Other Executive Director, Chief Executive, Director of Nursing, Director of Public Health, Finance Director, Medical Director.The data excludes Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

NHS: Fraud

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many reports of (a) expenses claims, (b) payroll and (c) other fraud NHS Protect have received from each region through the Fraud and Corruption Reporting Line in each year since 2009-10.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Health Services

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) private and (b) NHS providers were registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in each year since 2009-10; and how many (i) routine and (ii) risk-based inspections the CQC carried out of each type of provider in each such year.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) has supplied the following information:The CQC is unable to provide the information due to disproportionate cost. The information requested is held within the CQC, however, due to the introduction of its new inspection approach and the way the data is recorded, additional verification processes must be undertaken to ensure the response robust and accurate. These verification processes would incur disproportionate cost.

Vitamin B12: Vaccination

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent representations he has received on the availability of injectable B12 over the counter.

Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he will publish the evidence he has concerning B12.

Nicola Blackwood: The Department has received a small number of letters about the availability of injectable B12 over the counter and the issue was also raised at a meeting between the B12 Deficiency Group and the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health (Jane Ellison) in July 2016. All authorised medicines for injection are classified by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency as prescription only. Whether or not a patient could self-administer a prescribed medicine would be a matter of clinical judgement for the patient’s doctor to determine.The diagnosis and treatment for B12 deficiencies is well established and reported in the British Committee for Standards in Haematology (BCSH) guidance document, Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of Cobalamin and Folate disorders. The guidance was last updated in May 2014 and can be found at the following link:http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bjh.12959/epdfThe BCSH operates independently of the Department and NHS England and produces evidence-based guidelines for both clinical and laboratory haematologists on the diagnosis and treatment of haematological disease, drawing on the advice of expert consultants and clinical scientists practicing in the United Kingdom.

Breast Cancer

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the new 28-day diagnosis standard for all cancers on the urgent and non-urgent two-week waits for breast cancer referrals.

David Mowat: The new 28 Day Faster Diagnosis Standard is currently being tested in four test sites across England. As part of this process we will be assessing its impact on other referral pathways, including existing cancer and breast symptom pathways. We are committed to ensuring that the new standard improves diagnosis for all patients, including breast cancer patients or those with breast symptoms.

Diseases: Medical Treatments

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will discuss with NHS England the decision to put treatment for (a) Waldenström's macroglobulinaemia and (b) other diseases on hold after the recent High Court decision on HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis.

David Mowat: On 11 July 2016 NHS England set out its provisional investment decisions for specialised services. This was the result of its annual process for deciding which new treatments and services it will make available to patients. However, this year it was made clear that decisions are provisional and subject to the outcome of an appeal to the judicial review on whether NHS England had the power to commission the use of anti-retroviral drugs for the prevention of HIV, given before exposure (known as PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis). This is to ensure that sufficient funding remains available for PrEP should it be prioritised in the event that the Court of Appeal upholds the judge’s decision.Prior to this year’s commissioning round NHS England did not routinely fund the treatments considered, including stem cell transplants for Waldenström's Macroglobulinaemia.NHS England has in place a robust, clinically led process to reach commissioning decisions. Given this, although Ministers provide oversight of the efficiency and effectiveness of specialised commissioning overall, they do not become involved in individual commissioning decisions made by NHS England.

Health Services: Liverpool City Region

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications of devolution for the future of health services in the Liverpool City Region.

David Mowat: Devolution has the potential to support integration of health and social care, as well as catalyse collaboration between health and wider public services. As part of the second devolution deal agreed with Liverpool City Region in March 2016, the Government is committed to ongoing dialogue with the city region with regards to their health and social care system. The Government welcomes the publication of Liverpool City Region’s Case for Change which clearly set out the challenges faced by that health system and which necessitates a collective focus on prevention and early intervention. The Department and national partners continue to engage with Liverpool City Region with regards to next steps.

NHS: Doctors

William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will publish the number of (a) hospital and (b) community care service doctors working in the NHS by nationality.

Mr Philip Dunne: NHS Digital publishes data on the nationality of doctors working in the National Health Service in England. This is a self-reported field within the NHS human resources and payroll system, the electronic staff record.This data is published twice a year and the next set will be published in December 2016 showing the position at September 2016.The latest data is for March 2016 and is available from NHS Digital’s website at the following link:http://content.digital.nhs.uk/article/2021/Website-Search?q=nationality&go=Go&area=both

NHS: Sustainable Development

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the NHS plans to publish Sustainability and Transformation Plans in full or summary form.

David Mowat: It is for each Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) area to fully update their local communities. We expect that areas will publish a version of their STPs between late October and the end of the year. We would also expect that most areas will undertake public engagement during this period.

NHS England: Private Finance Initiative

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much NHS England spent as a proportion of its budget in PFI repayments each year since the first such repayment was made.

Mr Philip Dunne: Individual National Health Service trusts, NHS foundations trusts (‘NHS Providers’) and NHS Property Services Ltd make the payments from their overall income for the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) schemes they are individually accountable and responsible for under the contract. NHS England’s budget and expenditure is principally to commission services from NHS Providers either directly or through clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), but also from non-NHS providers (e.g. private and voluntary sector) as well as public health and primary care providers (e.g. general practitioners).The latest published information for the overall cost projections for all PFI schemes is available on the Treasury’s website, via:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-finance-initiative-and-private-finance-2-projects-2015-summary-dataThe Treasury table shows that for the 106 NHS PFI schemes that have now been signed, the estimated total revenue payments (over the lifetime of their contracts) are £79.0 billion (in nominal terms i.e. including an inflation assumption). This is from the date of the first construction completions in 2000-01 to the date of the very last payment in 2049-50. The revenue payment figures include not just the financing costs (debt repayment and interest) for initial construction but also the costs of all the other services such as building maintenance and support services (cleaning, catering, portering etc) provided over the lifetime of the contract. The payments are subject to meeting agreed performance and quality standards and include an annual uprate assumption for inflation of 2.5%.The total PFI payment made by NHS Providers for 2015-16 was £1.9 billion, which represents 2.4% of total budgeted expenditure of NHS Providers.

Circle Holdings

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has received representations on whether Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group was quorate at its meeting of 29 June 2016 when it awarded the contract for musculoskeletal services to Circle Holdings PLC; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: The procurement of local health services by means of competitive tendering is a matter for the local National Health Service. The Department has not received any representations on the matter of whether Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) was quorate at its meeting of 29 June 2016 when it awarded the contract for musculoskeletal services to Circle Health. We are informed by NHS England that the CCG follows standard NHS procurement procedures and these procedures were followed for this procurement.

Hospitals: Surrey

Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how much has been spent on external consultants at (a) Epsom Hospital, (b) East Surrey Hospital and (c) The Royal Surrey County Hospital respectively over the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: The requested information is not held centrally. The available information is provided in the table below. The Department holds expenditure data for National Health Service trusts as part of the year end accounts consolidation process. The data is held for the trust which a hospital belongs to rather than for individual hospitals. External Consultant Spend by Trust (2011/12-2015/16) Financial YearEpsom and St Helier University (£000)Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (£000)Royal Surrey County NHS Foundation Trust (£000)2011/122,8368812,0672012/131,5251,0361,2162013/141,2895092,2882014/151,2155023,1652015/161,784562,537Source: Department of Health Accounts and NHS Improvement Notes:1. This information is based on the Cabinet Office definition of “Consultancy Services” (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/405538/6.1_Cons_definitions.pdf):“Assistance provided by consultancy services provided outside the ’business-as-usual’ environment when in-house skills are not available and will be of no essential consequence and time-limited. Consultancy may include the identification of options with recommendations, or assistance with (but not delivery of) the implementation of solutions.” This is not the same as spend on external medical consultants; which would have to be obtained from trusts/foundation trusts directly. 2. This guidance is issued to NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts as part of the Department’s Group Accounting Manual, and can be seen on pages 160/161 of that document.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many clinical commissioning groups commission foetal alcohol spectrum disorder and foetal alcohol syndrome services.

Mr Philip Dunne: This information is not held centrally.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the population affected by (a) foetal alcohol syndrome and (b) foetal alcohol spectrum disorder in (a) Liverpool, Wavertree constituency, (b) Liverpool, (c) the Liverpool City Region and (d) England.

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the population affected by (a) foetal alcohol syndrome and (b) foetal alcohol spectrum disorder in each region of England in each year since 2010.

Mr Philip Dunne: The Department has made no estimate of the proportion of the population affected by Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) or Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) in England, regionally or locally. The diagnosis for babies born with FAS may not be made easily at birth, and problems may present only later in childhood, for example at school. Estimates for the incidence of FASD are still more uncertain and relate to the lack of consensus on diagnostic criteria for these conditions.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were diagnosed with (a) foetal alcohol syndrome and (b) foetal alcohol spectrum disorder in each region of England in each year since 2010.

Mr Philip Dunne: The following tables contain a count of the number of FAEs1 with a primary2 or secondary3 diagnosis of (a) Foetal Alcohol Syndrome4 or (b) Foetal Alcohol Spectrum disorders5 in each region6 in England for the years 2010-11 to 2014-157 Table 1: Foetal Alcohol Syndrome Government Office RegionYears 2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-15North East8123821North West6553474358Yorkshire and The Humber933375949East Midlands3148213015West Midlands1223141814East of England1613201121London1331213128South East3124464452South West2212221518Scotland (area of residence)00210England - Not Otherwise Specified01100Wales (area of residence)35232Unknown2131698Northern Ireland (area of residence)02000Total212270252272286  Table 2: Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Government Office RegionYears 2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-15North East00012North West71132Yorkshire and The Humber83285East Midlands15220West Midlands01020East of England30523London60135South East40144South West11000Scotland (area of residence)00000England - Not Otherwise Specified00000Wales (area of residence)00002Unknown9192654Northern Ireland (area of residence)00000Total3930383027Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in theindependent sectorSource: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Digital Notes: 1. Finished admission episodesA finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period. 2. Primary diagnosisThe primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and 7 prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the HES data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. 3. Secondary diagnosisAs well as the primary diagnosis, there are up to 19 (13 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and 6 prior to 2002-03) secondary diagnosis fields in HES that show other diagnoses relevant to the episode of care. 4. Foetal Alcohol SyndromeDiagnosis 4 code = Q860 5. Foetal alcohol spectrum disordersDiagnosis 4 code = P043 6. Government Office Region of ResidenceGovernment office region of residence = North West 7. Assessing growth through time (Admitted patient care)HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. Conversely, apparent increases in activity may be due to improved recording of diagnosis or procedure information.Note that HES include activity ending in the year in question and run from April to March, e.g. 2012-13 includes activity ending between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013. There are many other codes within ICD-10 which classify the defects found in patients with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, however, there is no way of identifying that these conditions are due to prenatal exposure to alcohol. For example, in a child of 8 years old with learning difficulties related to maternal alcohol use, it is not possible to link the learning difficulties with the previous maternal alcohol use. Therefore, it is not possible to identify all Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders using data derived from ICD-10 codes.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were diagnosed with (a) foetal alcohol syndrome and (b) foetal alcohol spectrum disorder in (i) Liverpool, Wavertree constituency, (ii) Liverpool, (iii) the Liverpool City Region and (iv) England.

Mr Philip Dunne: The following tables contain a count of the number of FAEs1 with a primary2 or secondary3 diagnosis of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome4 or Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder5 in Liverpool, Wavertree6 Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) – NHS Liverpool CCG7 and England8 for the years 2010-11 to 2014-1510. Data for Liverpool and city regions cannot be separately identified. Westminster Parliamentary Constituency, Liverpool, WavertreeConditionsYears 2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-15Foetal Alcohol Syndrome00000Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders00000 CCG, Liverpool City Region ConditionsYears 2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-15Foetal Alcohol Syndrome6****Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders00000 England  ConditionsYears 2010-112011-122012-132013-142014-15Foetal Alcohol Syndrome212270252272286Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders3930383027 Activity in English National Health Service Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Digital Notes: 1. Finished admission episodesA finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year or month in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the period. 2. Primary diagnosisThe primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the HES data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. 3. Secondary diagnosisAs well as the primary diagnosis, there are up to 19 (13 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and 6 prior to 2002-03) secondary diagnosis fields in HES that show other diagnoses relevant to the episode of care. 4. Foetal Alcohol SyndromeDiagnosis 4 code = Q860 5. Foetal alcohol spectrum disordersDiagnosis 4 code = P043 6. Liverpool and WavertreeWestminster Parliamentary Constituency = Liverpool, Wavertree 7. Clinical Commissioning Group = NHS Liverpool CCG 8. England totalAll Diagnoses 9. Assessing growth through time (Admitted patient care)HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. Conversely, apparent increases in activity may be due to improved recording of diagnosis or procedure information.Note that HES include activity ending in the year in question and run from April to March, e.g. 2012-13 includes activity ending between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2013. There are many other codes within ICD-10 which classify the defects found in patients with Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, however, there is no way of identifying that these conditions are due to prenatal exposure to alcohol. For example, in a child of 8 years old with learning difficulties related to maternal alcohol use, it is not possible to link the learning difficulties with the previous maternal alcohol use. Therefore, it is not be possible to identify all Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders using data derived from ICD-10 codes. Small numbersTo protect patient confidentiality, figures between 1 and 5 have been replaced with “*” (an asterisk). Where it was still possible to identify figures from the total, additional figures have been replaced with "*". Where the symbol "-" (dash) appears this represents the absence of data.Note that HES disclosure control rules only apply to 'known' values, e.g. small numbers where the age is unknown do not need to be replaced with "*".

Circle Holdings

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group and Healthwatch Greenwich on patient involvement in the commissioning process prior to the granting of the contract to provide musculoskeletal services to Circle Holdings PLC; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Philip Dunne: The provision of local health services is a matter for the local National Health Service. There have been no meetings between Ministers at the Department and Greenwich Clinical Commissioning Group and Healthwatch Greenwich about patient involvement in the commissioning process prior to the granting of the contract to provide musculoskeletal services to Circle Holdings PLC.

Pregnancy: Mental Illness

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many diagnoses of perinatal mental illness were made in (a) Copeland, (b) Cumbria and (c) England in each of the last five years.

Mr Philip Dunne: The data requested is not collected centrally. Work is underway to improve data collection on perinatal mental health.

NHS: Sustainable Development

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what mechanisms his Department has in place to ensure that areas of deprivation receiving higher levels of health funding per head of population do not subsidise less deprived areas as a result of sustainability and transformation plan footprints covering a wide geographic area.

David Mowat: Sustainability and Transformation Plans are designed to set out a local roadmap for closing the health, care and quality and financial gaps faced by the National Health Service over the coming years. The health gap includes inequalities in health and healthcare, and we expect plans to set out how these will be addressed by NHS bodies working with local government. In addition, NHS England’s method for allocating funding to clinical commissioning groups corrects for inequalities by allocating greater funding to areas that have historically been underfunded.

NHS: Sustainable Development

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the proposed salary and permitted allowances are for the chairs of each sustainability and transformation plan body.

David Mowat: Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP) footprints are not statutory bodies, but collective discussion forums which aim to bring together health and care leaders to support the delivery of improved health and care based on the needs of local populations. They do not replace existing local bodies, or change local accountabilities. Each footprint has been asked to determine governance arrangements for agreeing and implementing their STP. Individuals who are leading the development of STPs within each footprint, which include National Health Service provider Chief Executives, clinical commissioning group accountable officers and local authority senior leaders, are responsible for convening and chairing system-wide meetings, facilitating the open and honest conversations that will be necessary to secure sign up to a shared vision and plan. In the overwhelming majority of cases this is a voluntary, non-statutory role and they are not being paid over and above the remuneration they receive for their existing role. Their salary details will be available in the individual annual reports of the organisations by whom they are substantively employed.

NHS: Sustainable Development

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons hon. Members have not been allowed formally to engage in the discussions of those bodies forming sustainability and transformation plans.

David Mowat: We expect all local leaders to be regularly talking to members of the public and stakeholders, including hon. Members. It is vital that people are able to shape the future of their local services. No changes to the services people currently receive will be made without local engagement and, where required, consultation. There are longstanding assurance processes in place to make sure this happens. NHS England, with other national health and care bodies, released guidance to the local areas developing Sustainability and Transformation Plans entitled ‘Engaging local people’ in September 2016 which can be found on their website.

Carers: Living Wage

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities are properly funded to pay carers the national living wage.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the potential effect of the introduction of the national living wage on the cost of care paid for by local authorities.

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the future viability of care providers after the introduction of the national living wage.

David Mowat: Social care continues to be a key priority for the Government. This is why, against the context of tough public sector finances; the Government has taken steps to protect social care services. The Government is giving local authorities access to up to £3.5 billion of new support for social care by 2019/20. This should mean local government has access to the funding to increase social care spending in real terms by the end of the Parliament. This will support councils to continue to focus on core services and to pay fees which reflect provider costs including the National Living Wage. The spending took into account a range of financial and economic factors, including projections and data on the National Living Wage from the Office of Budget Responsibility and Skills for Care. The National Living Wage is an important step in rewarding the valuable contribution made by care workers, who often fall into the lowest earning occupations. Out of an estimated 1.16 million workers in adult social care in England, up to 900,000 people are expected to benefit. Under the Care Act 2014, local authorities must have regard to fostering an effective workforce with the appropriate capabilities when shaping their local markets. The Act and its statutory guidance make clear that prices and fee rates agreed with providers must reflect these new duties, including the National Living Wage. The Department continues to monitor the whole of the market of care providers and engage with the sector to better understand the challenges they face and support local authorities who purchase services.